A Song Among the Leaves
by Sagistic2034
Summary: Tayuya was assigned to watch over Konoha by Orochimaru. When she overhears Naruto being rejected by Kakashi and Ebisu, she find herself drawn to Naruto. Taking over his training, Tayuya slowly falls in love with the blonde...will it be enough for her to protect Konoha instead of destroying it? Rated T so expect no lemons
1. Chapter 1

Been awhile since I was on here huh? Well, while I was making chapters, this came into my head. After reading 'Growing Up' a NarutoxAnkoxAyame fic, I couldn't let this one go. Anyway I'll try to make this quick and then update the others later. Also this is more of an apology and a birthday present from me to you guys on my birthday.

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><p>҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Konoha Streets¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉<p>

Tayuya let out a huff in anger as she walked through streets of Konoha. The last thing she expected was to be assigned to watch over the village in order to make sure that Orochimaru's plan would go without a hitch.

"At least Orochimaru let me go and see kin at the hospital." Tayuya said as she maneuvered through the crowds on her way towards the hospital. Kin was one of her only friends, her other being a girl in a distant village from Oto, and one of the few that managed to make her less of a bitch to be around. Looking up from her position, the redhead let out a sigh of relief at seeing her destination a few blocks from her.

҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Konoha Hospital¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉

"You alright Kin?" Tayuya asked as she entered the room Kin was getting a check-up in.

"Hey you can't be in here!" a nurse said making Tayuya stop. Frowning a bit, Tayuya simply lifted up her hand and raised her middle finger at the nurse.

"Fuck off. I'm here to see someone while you're just standing there looking like a slut." Tayuya said making the nurse turn red with anger.

"It's alright. She's someone I know…and the closest thing to family." Kin said as the doctor looked up and nodded.

"Let her be nurse." The doctor said writing something down, "She's not doing any harm." The nurse only looked at the redhead and grunted upon seeing her grinning in victory.

"So, you ready to leave this hell hole?" Tayuya asked walking up. Kin nodded as she reached her arm out to grab her forehead protector…only for the doctor to take it away.

"I'm sorry miss, but you need to stay here." The doctor said handing the headband to the nurse. Kin and Tayuya both snapped their heads towards the doctor before Kin raised her hand to her head.

"Why can't she fucking leave?" Tayuya asked while the doctor continued to write down notes.

"It's not that I don't want her to leave. Knowing that you two are likely ninja," the doctor said before they looked up and turned to Kin, "and that you were just in the Chūnin Exams means your body has probably suffered." The doctor said. "In this instance, it's your head. You have a moderate almost serious concussion and as such your head will be suffering from any sudden movements. For your safety, you need to stay here until that concussion quells down a bit."

"And how long is that supposed to take?" Kin asked.

"In your case, the month until the finals." The doctor said. "Normally, this can be treated and stopped within a week or so, but for you the point of impact your head had made had done some damage. It might not seem like it, but come tomorrow you'll likely lose some control over your body movements." Tayuya made a move to attack but stopped when Kin grabbed her arm.

"It's alright." Kin said with a smile, "you can treat it though."

"The only treatment I can give is a pain pill and a bed for you to rest in." the doctor said. "Don't worry, the next month won't be so bad. Your friend can even come and visit you every day if you want." The doctor said as they turned to leave the room. "I'll have another nurse come and escort you to your room." The doctor said as they left through the doorway. Tayuya only let out an exaggerated sigh as she sat next to her best friend.

"Well there goes my fucking plans for the day." The redhead said, "I have to stay in this shitty village doing nothing except taking notes."

"It won't be so bad. Like the doctor said, you can visit me every day." Kin said as the two waited for a nurse to show up. Tayuya only nodded at that as she let out another sigh and jumped off the examination table.

"Well, I'm going to go look around. I'll see you later, I still need to check on Orochimaru's 'new body'." Tayuya said making Kin nod as she walked out of the room.

-Hospital Halls-

"Kakashi-sensei, can you train me please?!" a boy clad in a bright orange jumpsuit demanded, while another man wearing the customary Jōnin outfit, only let out a sigh,

"I'm sorry, Naruto but I can't right now." Kakashi replied, his nose still buried in his Icha Icha book of smut.

"Why not? You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you?" Naruto asked. "Why can't you train me too?" Kakashi finally deigned to look at his student.

"It's nothing personal but you two are going to face completely different opponents. I know about Guy's students and your opponent won't to kill you. Gaara is a different story, even more so since you saw what had done to Guy's other student." The Jōnin said looking up and seeing a disappointed Naruto, "But don't worry, I didn't forget you – I have managed to find you a good teacher who will replace me during the next month. He's a Tokubetsu Jōnin, just below me in terms of skill."

"Really?! Who are they?" Naruto asked in an almost similar excitement as before.

"Me." A voice called out behind Kakashi before the man sidestepped to show Ebisu.

"Him?!" Naruto said in outrage, pointed at the sunglass specked man. Kakashi only looked up from his book with an eye smile.

"So it seems you two are already acquainted. Then I can skip the introductions and let you two get to training." Kakashi said before he looked at Naruto. "Listen to Ebisu, he's a great sensei and a seasoned shinobi. I know you want to learn a lot of jutsu Naruto, but first you need to master the basic and Ebisu is the perfect sensei for that." Patting the blonde on the head, the Jōnin walked on by without a care in the world at the moment.

"What can you teach me that I don't already to know?" Naruto asked in anger as Ebisu huffed and pushed his shades higher arrogantly.

"Ha! Did you really think I would train someone as useless as you?" Ebisu asked as he turned away from Naruto. "Honestly you've only managed to survive this long on luck. Seeing as you always seem to have some," the Tokubetsu said before he started walking away, "I won't waste my skills on training you." With that, the man turned the corner and left a very angry Naruto glaring at the spot he had previous spot he occupied.

"Oh, yeah?! Just you watch! I'll beat Neji on my own! You'll see!" Naruto said as he turned around and ran through the halls of hospital, the tears streaming from his face making him miss Tayuya who was right around the corner.

-Around the corner-

"Now that's a fucked up thing to do, especially if you're a Jōnin." Tayuya said with a frown as she was leaned on the wall around the corner after witnessing the whole scene. While she was looking for the Uchiha, knowing full well that Orochimaru had marked him with a curse seal, she happened to hear the commotion by chance. While she was impressed by the Uchiha's strength of will, he was easily forgotten. "Whoever that Jōnin was, he's an idiot focusing on one of his Genin instead of all three. Even Orochimaru doesn't neglect the rest of us when he's personally training one."

Pushing off the wall, Tayuya only shook her head as she continued her walk around the hall of the hospital. She had someone else to check on and another to visit to make to Kin.

҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Training Ground 13 (3 Hours Later) ¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉

Naruto panted hard as he threw the last clone he made over his shoulder and watched as it poofed away from existence. Smiling at the impromptu endurance test he survived, the blonde took a moment to rest before his hands formed a cross and he summoned the same hundred clones as he did the first time. Without a word, Naruto simply got into position before clone ran forwards and threw the first punch that sent the rest of the clones in an all-out brawl.

-Nearby Treetops-

Tayuya let out a sigh as she watched the blonde summon another batch of clones that descended into a madness of fist and feet. She had to admit, the kids had potential to be a shinobi.

"*snort* Please, any self-respecting shinobi wouldn't go around wearing neon orange." The redhead said as she dropped down a bit to the tree line and took a seat on one of the branches. Seeing the blonde getting dog-piled, Tayuya only shook her head before she saw Naruto manage to get up and power out of the clones. "He has endurance…I'll give him that." Tayuya said as she gained a small glint in her eyes and reached behind her for her flute.

-In the Clearing-

Naruto huffed a bit as he kicked back three clones and took a second to catch his breath. Jumping away from the large group, Naruto dispelled the rest of them at once before he gripped his head in pain.

"Still as pathetic as always dope." A voice called out as Naruto walked back into the clearing. Turning around, Naruto and glared at the one who was standing at the edge of clearing, a smug look on his face and his arms crossed as he leaned against the tree.

"What do want teme?" Naruto said with a glare as he turned his whole body around. The 'teme' in question only stretched his smug look as he pushed off the trees and started walking into the clearing.

"Face it dope. You're just mad that Kakashi-sensei didn't train you and only wanted to train the best." 'Teme' said as he stopped in front of Naruto. "You'll never be able to beat Neji. Better drop out now."

-In the Tree line-

Tayuy frowned a bit as she watched Naruto continue to argue with himself in the clearing. While she didn't use her strongest Genjutsu she had, even an academy student could break out of the one she placed over the blonde idiot. Watching a bit she began to wonder what drew her attention towards the blonde once more. While normally, she wouldn't waste her time watching a potential enemy, Tayuya curious as to how the blonde below her had gained the title 'Demon Brat'. Taking to the trees and using the gossip towards his basic direction, she easily found her target barely summoning a hundred clones that proceeded to try and beat the shit out of the original.

Since then, she was curious as to what his skill was compared to the other shinobi in the village. Shrugging at her original reason, Tayuya decided to reveal herself and see how good this blonde idiot was; with a devilish smirk, the redhead drew sharp kunai and chucked it at the unaware teen.

-In the Clearing-

"You shouldn't be so smug you as-" Naruto started before his sharper than average hearing let him know that a kunai was whizzing towards then through the air. "Duck teme!" Naruto shouted after he rolled to his left and watched the kunai go through the 'teme' he was talking to. Upon seeing the projectile phase through, Naruto instantly realized he was trapped in a genjutsu and quickly spiked his chakra levels before he ducked below two more kunai. Making a dozen clones instinctively, Naruto hid himself in the crowd and started to back away from the clearing.

Seeing a few clones get dispelled around him, Naruto made a run for the woods, using more clones to hide his real position. Unfortunately, his clones died almost instantly as they were created; only giving him enough time to barely get to safety within shrubs and trees. Using the remaining clones to draw the unseen assailant out Naruto watched as they died right in front of him.

'I need to get out of here. Get back to the village! That'll at least stop their attacks!' Naruto thought as he turned to run. He wasn't really in the mood to fight someone who could kill his copies as easy as his sensei. His escape however was stopped by a solid fist to his jaw which lifted him of the ground. Fearing the end of his flight, Naruto quickly used a substitution to disappear, remembering his sensei's fondness of such blitz tactics. Not wasting time, Naruto ran for his life…that was before he found himself clotheslined and trapped by several clones of a redhead, who quickly restricted his limbs, pinning him to the floor.

"This is it…" Naruto said quietly as he closed his eyes and turned away. The original Tayuya landed in front her of her target and rock clones and smirked a bit at seeing the blonde closing his eyes and looking away.

"Not half bad blondie. Not half bad…" Tayuya said causing Naruto to open his eyes and slowly look towards the redhead. Seeing her motion her head, he felt the restrictions on his limbs loosen until he was free once again giving him the ability to stand up. Looking at the redhead that stood before him, Naruto thought about running but stopped at one step when he felt a kunai blade on his jugular. "Try to run from me, I'll really make you bleed out quicker than you can yell." The redhead said pressing the blade closer for effect.

"What do you want with me?" Naruto asked before he felt the blade's pressure once again.

"You're going to walk with me back to the clearing, any movement and I flick my wrist, got that?" Tayuya said getting a slow nod from Naruto as she started pushing Naruto with her body. Getting the clearing, Tayuya smirked a bit as she pushed Naruto away from her before he turned around and stared at her.

"What do you want with me?" Naruto asked once more, wanting to know who the redhead was.

"My fucking name's Tayuya shithead, can you pronounce that?" Tayuya growled out, making the boy step back.

"Okay, Tayuya-san," Naruto said cautiously, "Why did you attack me?"

"I was just testing your reflexes, that's all." Tayuya said as she started using the kunai in her hands to clean her nails.

"Why?"

"Well, I was trying to see if you were worth the effort." Tayuya said looking at her nails and switched hands.

"For what?" Naruto asked resisting the urge to run at the moment.

"I won't lie shithead. I've watching you for the past three hours or so." Tayuya said. Naruto took a step back, something Tayuya took notice and gripped the kunai in her hand. Seeing him stop, Tayuya smiled at that and began loosening her grip on the kunai before she started to twirl it on her finger.

"You were watching me?" Naruto asked in surprise. Tayuya only casually nodded, "Don't you find that strange? You've been a boy for three hours? That's…borderline stalker isn't it?" Naruto asked before Tayuya lost focus for a moment and accidently sent the kunai flying at Naruto. Ducking in order not to get stabbed, Naruto quickly flipped around and froze that redhead that was slowly creeping towards him.

"What did you say…Shithead?" Tayuya said dangerously as she stepped closer to Naruto. Said blonde only cowered as he quickly repeated what he said and added more.

"Isaiddon'tyoufinditstrangetobewatchingaboyforthreehours? That'sborderlinestalkerstatus! Imeanwhodoesthat?" Naruto spat out in quick succession. Tayuya was lucky enough to catch everything he said and stopped her movements while in a certain compound, a certain Hyūga sneezed on her personal alter of Naruto. Back in the woods, Naruto was currently waiting for the killing blow as Tayuya only glared at him. Sensing nothing that would kill him, but the anger was still there, Naruto slowly lowered his arms and looked up at Tayuya.

"Heh…you're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood." Tayuya said as she walked passed him and retrieved the kunai in the tree. Looking over it, Tayuya continued to walk into the woods leaving Naruto by himself. "Be back here by five in the morning." Tayuya's voice called out as Naruto started to stand.

"Isn't that a little early?" Naruto asked outloud. In a moment, Tayuya's kunai flew by his face and nicked him. "R-right! Five O'clock! You got it!" Naruto said turning and running in the other direction.

҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Konoha Hospital¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉

"Hey Kin I'm back!" Tayuya called as she neared the room number she was told by the woman at the front desk. When she managed to look through the doorway, she saw the same doctor before looking over a clipboard and wrote something down. Looking past her, Tayuya's eyes widened at seeing Kin, arm hooked up to an IV machine and respirator over her mouth. "Kin!" Tayuya called out as she ran over to the girl's side.

"Oh, you're that kunoichi from before!" The doctor said having looked around in surprise at Tayuya's voice. "Not to worry. She's just going through the backlash of a concussion." The woman said noticing Tayuya's attention on Kin.

"What happened to her?" Tayuya asked angrily. The doctor gave her a warm smile as she stood up.

"Like I said, nothing to worry about. The effect of the concussion just hit her today and she lost control over her movements. We've hooked her up just in case." The doctor explained as she placed the clipboard back. "You're welcome to stay the night if you wish. You can sleep in that bed as well, you look rather drained yourself."

"What about Kin!?" Tayuya demanded as the doctor still smiled.

"I've managed to get some painkillers in her. She'll be up tomorrow but she isn't allowed to leave." Tayuya looked back at her friend in concern. The doctor only walked out of room before she stopped at the doorway. "You are a very good friend. She's lucky to have you. You remind me so much of the Uzumaki boy that I used to treat." With that the doctor left while Tayuya stayed at Kin's side.

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><p>AN: Well that concludes this chapter. I hope to keep it simple and under ten chapters. Next time, 'The First Training Session'. See ya!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's the next chapter of this story. Enjoy.

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><p>҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Training Ground 13 (5:05)¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉<p>

Tayuya let out a sigh in anger as she crossed her arms and leaned against the tree in the early morning. She had been waiting for the past five minutes for Naruto show up but so far she hadn't even sensed him even near her.

"I could've fucking talked with Kin a bit more before I left." Tayuya grumbled out a bit more. Just as the redhead closed her eyes, she snapped them open at the sound of a twig snapping and the mass of chakra she sensed behind her. Twirling around with a kunai in her hand, Tayuya stopped when she saw a somewhat beat up Naruto smiling at her. "The fuck happened to you?"

"Oh this? Heheh th-this is nothing. I uh…slipped this morning…o-off of a cliff and couldn't grab the edges." Naruto said, letting Tayuya know how much bullshit he was spewing out.

"Alright." Tayuya said as she moved forward and punched the blonde in the gut. "What the fuck really happened Shithead?" Tayuya said as Naruto fell to his knees in pain. Taking a step back, Tayuya didn't even blink as she watched Naruto try to collect his breath.

"…ine…" Naruto said making Tayuya raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't catch that."

"…fine…" Naruto said calming his breathing, "I got here early…"

_-Flashback (4:45 AM)-_

_Naruto was currently doing some sit-ups as he waited for Tayuya appear._

"_Twenty-seven. Twenty Eight. Twenty-nine…Thirty." Naruto said as he lifted his body up from the ground in a final push. Smiling at his quick work out, the blonde immediately started stretching, knowing that his body would stiffen out if he didn't._

"_Well, if it isn't the demon brat." A voice said making Naruto turn around in order to see five shinobi standing behind him. A little surprised, Naruto stopped his stretching and began stepping backwards. That was until his body was stopped by someone else's and he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "Hold him tight Hiru." A voice called out making the hand tighten its grip on Naruto's shoulder. "Now where do you think you're going?" one of the shinobi asked as the others let a smile cross their face. Naruto didn't say anything as the five that were in front of him started coming closer towards him and the one holding his shoulder._

"_What do want?" Naruto asked as tried to get out of the hand's grip._

"_Oh nothing, just looking for someone to spar with." One of the shinobi said. Naruto didn't bat an eyelash, knowing full well the meaning behind the man's words. "Seeing as you're here…well I guess my friends can count themselves lucky. Normally I would beat the snot out of them in a spar…but since you're here…" the man said as he clenched his left hand. "…I can just beat the ever living hell out of you."_

"…" _Naruto said nothing as the man readied his fist._

"_Gonna act all silent and tough, huh?" the man asked. Without a word, he swung his fist out at Naruto's face, nailing the blonde right in the eye._

"_Gah!" Naruto said feeling the pain, the hand on his shoulder having moved to restrict his arms behind him._

"_Feel that you little shit? That's nothing compared to what my parents felt when you crushed them underneath you." The man said with a smile and threw another punch at Naruto, this time his gut. "How's it feel?" the man said punching Naruto in the gut once more. "Don't worry; I'll make sure you feel more." The man said as he lifted his leg and sent a kick into the blonde's side. Naruto, for his part, only let out a grunt this time, his body used to certain pain._

"_Gichio, let me have a turn." A feminine voice said when the man landed another kick. Naruto looked back at the five in order to see a woman walk up to him._

"_Sure thing Shida." The man said taking a few steps back at the woman smiled._

"_Heh, you seem so proud of those whiskers on your face demon. How about I help you make them more pronounced?" the woman asked raising her right hand. In an instant, she swung it with her nails extended, scratching Naruto's left side and drawing a little blood. Without warning, the hand had quickly came back and backhanded Naruto on his right side, also drawing blood as well. "That's for my husband. The one your impaled on your claws!"_

"_Shida, let me have a go at the brat." Another man said taking a step forward._

"_He's all yours Kincho." The man only smiled as he cracked his knuckles._

_-Ten Minutes Later-_

"_GAH!" Naruto shouted as he felt the kunai cut his arm. In front of him were the same six people as before but this time, he was bound to a tree. Not bothering to fight it, Naruto slumped a bit and simply hung his head as he tried to ignore the pain._

"_Look Gichio! You tired the little shit out. We didn't even get to try the bigger shurikens." A man said while the others only chuckled._

"_Ah well. At least we can say he killed the little shit. Kasay, go and check if he's dead." A voice ordered before Naruto started to hear footsteps coming towards them. Holding his breath and letting a little out, Naruto waited._

"_Heh…he's still alive Gichio! Just barely though!" Another voice shouted._

"…_Then cut him loose." Gichio shouted back_

"_You sure?"_

"_Make sure one of the weapons or the rope is left. Better no one know what we did. We can just find him later." Gichio said as he started to walk away. The man next to Naruto only shrugged as he took out one of the kunai stuck in the tree and proceeded to cut the rope holding the blonde._

"_You're lucky we've got a mission today Demon Brat. Otherwise we would've-" The man started before he felt a fist connect with his face and sent him stumbling back. Looking back up towards the tree, he saw Naruto use snap the last rope around him before he took off towards the village. "Ginchio! That little shit is getting away!"_

"_What!? After him you idiot!" Gichio shouted as he turned around and ran after Naruto with the other five trailing. With the blonde, he smiled a bit as he ran as fast as he could through the trees. Picking up the sound of his pursuers, Naruto increased his speed more. "Get back here you little shit!"_

"_Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he formed twelve clones and had them spread out in pairs._

"_Which one is he?" one of five asked out loud._

"_Doesn't matter! Spread out and make sure he doesn't get back to the village!" Gichio barked out as the six dispersed. What they didn't see was the original who dropped to the floor and began running back to the village._

_҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Village Rooftops¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉_

_As Naruto landed on a rooftop, he stopped in order to catch his breath. He wasn't really tired from all the running, but more to the fact that the wounds he had obtained were slowly healing and causing him a little pain. Standing up straight, Naruto looked around only for him to see four of the six that were following him landing on a nearby rooftop._

"_I'll hand it to you, you little shit. You gave us quite the chase…" Gichio said pulling out a kunai along with the other three. "…but that all ends now." The man said as he was about to throw the kunai. However as he and the others released the projectiles, their hands were caught by an invisible force. Naruto, seeing the blades coming for him, instantly rolled out of the way before he turned around to see an ANBU black ops member appear and block all four kunai._

"_You four! You are under arrest!" the person called out as they sheathed their weapons. Instantly four other ANBU members appeared and circled around the four shinobi, bounding them in more wires._

"_What are you talking about!? On what charges?" Gichio shouted as he fell to his knees._

"_For attack a fellow shinobi of Konoha; you are charged with treason. You will be taken into custody and anything you say will be recorded and used against you in your trial!" one of the ANBU said._

"_What!? You can't be serious!? You're all protecting that demon!?" Gichio shouted in protest. At that he was in the back of his head, which knocked him out._

"_Anyone else have anything to say?" one of the ANBU asked. Getting no response from the rest, the apparent leader simply motioned their head towards the monument. "Get them out of here." The other four members said nothing as they all disappeared with the four shinobi. Turning around, the ANBU member cleared their throat when they saw Naruto trying to quietly sneak away. "Are you alright?"_

"_Y-yeah." Naruto said, turning around. The ANBU only stared at him before they turned around._

"_You don't have to worry about those four again. Attacking a comrade is considered one of the highest crimes for a shinobi to commit. They'll likely never see the light of day again." The ANBU member said while Naruto only nodded._

"_T-thanks…" Naruto said, "…f-for taking care of them. I guess some things will never change huh?" Naruto said looking down a bit. Hearing the ANBU start to leave, Naruto also turned to leave._

"_You should think about changing your clothes…" the ANBU said before they disappeared. Naruto turned around but only shrugged as he went back to his house to change. No good going out to train when your clothes are covered in blood._

-Flashback End-

Tayuya could only gawk at Naruto as he finished recounting the events that led him to being late. Naruto on the other hand was simply smiling at her nervously with a large drop of sweat on his head. After a few moments, Tayuya spoke what was on her mind.

"Why the fuck do you stay here? For fucking Kami's sake, you were pretty much a target just a little while ago." Tayuya said surprising Naruto, "Even I know when I'm not wanted. How fucking long had shit like this been going on?" Tayuya asked making Naruto get into a thinking pose for a second.

"Hm…I guess I would have to say since I turned seven." Naruto said looking up only for Tayuya to take a step back.

'What the fuck is wrong with this shithead? Who stays in a place for five year even though they're being attacked?' Tayuya thought as she looked over the blonde. Seeing the swelling in his eye go down, a little too quickly in her opinion, she knew he wasn't lying. Hell she already found out that he was useless at lying when he told her why he was late. Deciding to just let the subject drop, Tayuya shook her head and took on her trademark look.

"Alright shithead, before we start I need to know some things." Tayuya said confusing Naruto.

"Uh…just what exactly are we starting?" the blonde asked also realizing that Tayuya never told him yesterday before she left.

"Your fucking training, what else?" Tayuya said. Naruto only tilted his head towards her in skepticism.

"You're going to train me?" Naruto asked before he got a nod, "Why?"

"Like I said yesterday. I was watching you," Tayuya said as Naruto nodded, "and based on that, I saw how fucking horrible you are at being a shinobi." Tayuya said making Naruto angry.

"Hey, I'm not a bad shinobi." Naruto said making Tayuya roll her eyes.

"Then show me what you got." Tayuya said as she got into a rested Taijutsu stance. Naruto narrowed his eyes and quickly settled himself into the one stance that he was taught before becaming a genin. "...is that your stance?" Tayuya asked, catching Naruto's attention.

"Uh, yeah?" Tayuya only shrugged before, without much warning, she appeared in front of Naruto and punched him in his chest, easily stumbling him back. While the blonde quickly gained his balance, Tayuya appeared once more behind him and swept out her leg which made Naruto fall to the ground. Just he landed, the blonde felt Tayaya get on top of him and pull out a kunai before she placed it at his throat.

"Whoever taught you…" Tayuya said deadly as she pulled away and got off the blonde, "…was trying to get you killed." Taking the hand he was offered, Naruto easily pulled himself up and dusted himself off a bit before his eyes dimmed and his arms slowly lowered to his sides. Seeing Naruto's expression, Tayuya once again rolled her eyes before she walked up to the blonde and flicked him in the cheek. "Lighten up, I'm sure they just didn't know what they were doing."

"After what I told you a little while ago…I don't think that's the case." Naruto countered making Tayuya look at him. Remembering the reason why he was late, Tayuya didn't bother with arguing for any reason. She was surprised though, it amazed her that a teacher would purposely sabotage a student, especially here in Konoha, where their shinobi were supposedly top notch.

"Well no use fucking crying over spilled milk." Tayuya said as she took a few steps from Naruto. "Just get back into that stance so I see where you fucked up." Naruto simply nodded as he rested back into the stance he had just used. "First off, your weight should be on your back leg," Tayuya said pulling Naruto back a bit to balance him, "like so. Now, turn your front foot in a bit to give yourself more balance," Tayuya said using her foot to move Naruto's. "Feels more natural doesn't it? You'll be able to move much more efficiently like that."

"You're right. It does feel more natural…like I can move a lot more easily." Naruto said testing out the new form.

"Well this is the most basic form there is." Tayuya said as she looked at Naruto once more. "Alright lift your back arm up near your chest," The redhead said as she used a hand to push Naruto's elbow around and guide the arm, "keep it like that. Next, stretch your other arm out in front of you," Tayuya commanded as Naruto stretched his arm out all the way, "not all the way out, dipshit!" Tayuya said grabbing Naruto's wrist with one hand and tapping his joint to make it bend, "Like this. Keeping it like this will make sure you can strike and block from pretty much any angle, and move in nearly any direction." Tayuya said as she stepped away. Watching as he took a few practice punches and kicks, the two both knew that he was looking much better than he did.

-6 Hours Later-

Naruto fell to his knee after he threw the last clone he created into the ground and smashed its stomach, dispelling the technique. Off in the sidelines, Tayuya smiled as she watched the blonde finished of the 500th clone he created.

"So…*pant*how'd I…*pant*do?" Naruto panted out as he got up. Tayuya smirked a bit as she walked towards him.

"Better than what I fucking saw yesterday. All it seemed like was someone getting into a fight over a bowl of ramen of something." Tayuya said taking a look at the sky and seeing the golden hue of the sun setting.

"Awesome…" Tayuya looked down at the sound of something falling…only to see Naruto on the ground, asleep. Tayuya only rolled her eyes again as she turned and started to walk away from the clearing in the woods. Stopping at the edge where she had been for the past six hours, Tayuya looked over her shoulder and let out a sigh as she turned around and went to pick up the blonde idiot. Placing him on her back, the redhead left the area, her destination being the hospital.

"You're fucking useless you know that?" asked Tayuya as Naruto only smiled lightly.

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"Hey Kin…*grunt*I'm…*grunt*back." Tayuya called out as she walked through the door, Naruto still on her back. Kin, who was currently reading a book, looked up and smiled at her friend. That was when her eyes caught the blonde hair that was resting on the redhead's shoulder.

"Uh, Tayuya….who is that?" Kin asked, pointing to the hair on her shoulder.

"No one really. Just an idiot that caught my attention." Tayuya said as she walked over the third spare bed in the room and eased Naruto onto it. Kin only watched with mild interest as Tayuya pulled the covers over Naruto and opened the blinds to the window for some moonlight. When her redheaded friend walked over to her, her face gained a particular smile.

"What? Something on my face?" Tayuya asked when she saw Kin's smile. Kin only smiled a bit more as she only rested in her bed and read her book a bit more as Tayuya kept inspecting herself. "Kin can you fucking tell me what's so funny?" Tayuya asked while Kin flipped her page and read another paragraph. After finishing, Kin placed a bookmark at her page and closed the book before she stared at Tayuya. For a few moments, the two only looked at one another before Tayuya made a move to ask once more.

"When did you get a boyfriend?" Kin asked, not bothering to hide anything. Tayuya, at that moment, widened her eyes and jumped away from Kin once she heard the girl's question.

"What?!" Tayuya shouted before she looked up and saw Naruto roll around a bit. Looking back at Kin, who had the biggest smile on her face, Tayuya quickly sat back down. "He's not my boyfriend! You know I would never date someone as stupid looking at him!" Tayuya said in a raised voice. Kin only kept her smile as she looked at Tayuya. Opening her mouth, Kin was about to speak before another voice cut in.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know that I was interrupting something." Looking at the source, the two saw it was the doctor from before. "Oh! And I see you found Uzumaki as well. I was wondering where he'd been. He hasn't seen us since he became a Genin." The doctor said making the two look at her. "Anyway, I came here to inform you Tsuchi-san that your dinner is coming up. I'll also notify the nurses to send one up for you as well." The doctor said, looking at Tayuya. Both only nodded as the doctor walked over to Naruto and did a quick check up on him before she left the room.

-9 O'clock-ish-

Tayuya was currently looking at the ceiling in the moonlit room as she thought over what Naruto had told her while he was training today. Frankly, she was surprised that someone like him even existed in a world like theirs. The blonde idiot was just one big surprise after one big surprise. Considering the exploits she heard from him, she expected something to more of an exaggeration of his missions. She also found that while he had an understanding of the basics…no one had even gone into detail with him. Some actions like that left him at a disadvantage…if his description of his mission to Wave country were true.

"Shithead's got a lot of resilience to keep going…" Tayuya said quietly, yet she knew that one couldn't just go through all that shit on sheer power. The blonde had some notable 'on the fly' tactics such as when he described his fight in the preliminaries. Overall, Tayuya knew that Naruto had the potential to be a true nightmare in the battlefield. If she could make him realize the same potential…there would be limitless possibilities for the blonde. Turning over, Tayuya took one last look at the blonde before she closed her eyes.

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><p>AN: Alright then, that about wraps up this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And so the training continues.

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><p>҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Training Ground 13 (Day 16)¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉<p>

"Try again! C'mon!" Tayuya as she placed a flute up to her lips and played another song as Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated. Feeling the familiar tingling that let him know he was under another genjutsu made his eyes open up.

"Okay…remember…flare at the right time." Naruto repeated to himself as he started walking through the forest he had grown accustom too. As he walked, he noticed the small things that let him know a genjutsu was being played; this such as unnatural animals, shifts in the sky, and noise not normally heard. Walking into another clearing, Naruto sighed before he placed his hand together and started to gather his chakra.

"NARUTO-BAKA!" a voice yelled out making Naruto flinch a bit.

"You're not real Sakura-chan…" Naruto said a pink-haired girl dashed out from the trees with the intent of killing him with a kunai. As she was about to connect, Naruto flared his chakra out as much as he could.

"WHOA!" Tayuya shouted as she was flung back a bit from Naruto's chakra flare. "Holy shit that was a lot of chakra!" Tayuya shouted as she got up from the ground and dusted herself off. "Shithead has some useful reserves."

'Not to mention a pretty good control with all the exercises I been putting him through.' Tayuya thought as she saw Naruto start walking towards her again.

"So, how'd I do?"

"Better blondie. That was a C-ranked Genjutsu that you dispelled." Tayuya said making Naruto smile. "More training and you'll eventually be able to dispel even stronger ones."

"Awesome…" Naruto said as he pumped his fist into the air. "…so what do I do now?"

"Simple. We'll do what we've been doing: improving your control even more." Tayuya said as Naruto gained a confused look on his face.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Because, since we know that you're not going to be at a hundred percent; you need to gain as much control for the amount of percentage you do have. Water walking needs more control than you have and if you don't build it up then it's useless to try using jutsu." Tayuya said as she reached up and grabbed a leaf. "Now practice. Your record was an hour and twelve minutes…I want a ten percent increase." Tayuya said as she took out her flute once more as Naruto closed his eyes. At the sound of her flute playing, Naruto went ahead to with this practice.

-3 hours later-

Tayuya grunted as she stretched and felt the multiple joints in her body pop. Having watched Naruto train for the past hour, the first two hours being the blonde beating the ten percent mark she made for him. When the hour and forty-five minute mark was hit, Tayuya made Naruto stop and summons some clones in order to practice more with the new stance he was taught. Since then Naruto had been fighting his clones and getting more comfortable with using his stance.

"Alright shithead…time to call it in." Tayuya said felt more pops in her spine.

"Huh? Oh, alright." Naruto said as he dispelled the rest of his clones. Walking back, Tayuya snapped her head up and waited as Naruto continued to walk towards her. In an instant, a clone popped out from the woods and tried to tackle the redhead. Unfortunately, Tayuya already sensed the extra and was ready as she managed to grab its arm and fling it towards the original and dispel it.

"Nice try asshole." Tayuya said. Naruto hung his head a bit as Tayuya smirk in victory. "I could still hear and sensed that clone a long time ago."

"You know it's kinda hard to sneak up on someone like you." Naruto said. Being task with working on his stealth, the blonde tried his best to get one over Tayuya; slowly he was getting better but it was a second skill that wasn't focused on.

'I guess I should make it a priority. He's already getting a grip on my advanced Taijutsu stance anyway.' Tayuya thought as Naruto walked up to her.

"Hey shithead," Tayuya said catching Naruto's attention, "There's a ravine, just to the east of here. Meet me there tonight at ten. That gives you four hours to fuck around." Tayuya said as she started walking away. Naruto only nodded as he started to walk towards the village, intent on getting some ramen and taking a shower.

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"Hey Kin," Tayuya said as she walked through the hospital room doorway and saw Kin reading another book, "how's it been?"

"Boring." Kin said as she continued to read. "The doctor's nice, but everyone else…" Kin started but stopped, making Tayuya chuckle a bit. The girl was not as used to swearing as Tayuya was so it was fun to watch her struggle to think of a word to use. Shaking her head and placing a book mark in her book, Kin looked up as Tayuya sat down. "So, how was it today with your boyfriend?"

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you shithead is not my boyfriend?" Tayuya asked while Kin only smirked.

"Aww, see; you even gave him a nickname." Kin said, making the redhead blush a bit. "Seriously though Tayuya, why are you training a potential enemy?" Kin asked while Tayuya took a breath.

"I don't fucking know anymore." Tayuya said honestly. "Shithead didn't look like a threat when I first saw him; now I see that he can't reach his real strength." Tayuya said, making Kin a little confused. "_He_ put the seal on him." Tayuya said making Kin's eye widen.

"You mean…" Kin stopped when she saw Tayuya nod her head.

"I can't remove it…but shithead has a lot of resilience." Tayuya said, "Even at half his reserves and control…he could break out of C-ranked Genjutsu." Tayuya said making Kin look at her in surprise. For the next hour, Tayuya and Kin would be talking about the blonde and everything he told Tayuya…unaware that the two were starting to change their own sides on the soon to be invasion.

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"You're late." Tayuya said when she heard the sound of a twig snapping and Naruto's breathing.

"Sorry." Naruto said with a sheepish smile as he started walking up to the redhead. "I had a hard time finding the place." Turning around, Tayuya gasped a bit at seeing the blood that was on Naruto's sleeve and the side of his coat. While it was hard to see with the limited moonlight, the redhead could still make out the neon orange that Naruto wore and the darken spots that were definitely not mud.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Tayuya asked as Naruto looked over himself. Taking a step back, Naruto stopped when Tayuya grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Hold still Naruto…" Tayuya said as she led him to the rock she was sitting on and sat him down, making him take off his jacket. Pulling out some gauze that she had in her back pouch, Tayuya made Naruto stretch out his arm before she started to wrap up the wounds Naruto had.

'I can't believe someone would just attack him! They have no right to something like this! Even Oto things like this were punishable…why doesn't he just leave?' Tayuya thought with a harden frown on her face. Naruto for one, was confused as to why Tayuya so concerned for him; since they met, she seemed set on making him better and nothing else.

"Did I do something wrong?" the blonde asked, completely unaware of the redhead's thoughts. Tayuya only stopped and sighed loudly as she did so before she continued with her task. The anger that was building up, already fading as she continued to treat Naruto's arm.

"No Naruto, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just…" Tayuya started before she took a moment to think of how to word her question, "…why do you stay here if things like this happen to you?" Tayuya ask with genuine concern. "If I were you…I would've left as soon as I got the chance." Tayuya said as she finished up Naruto's arm and went to work on his other arm. Naruto only smiled as he looked up into the sky.

"Because I can't." the blonde responded.

"Bullshit." Tayuya said, looking up at him. Naruto only kept his smile as he looked up into sky.

"Maybe to you but…" Tayuya stopped again and waited for Naruto to continue, "…I can't."

"You could come with me and Kin; y'know, back to Oto." Tayuya said, finishing up Naruto's other arm. There was only silence as Tayuya went to work on Naruto's side, a long but shallow cut having made the side its temporary home until healed. Taking a step back, Tayuya looked at Naruto's face before she turned her head and saw what he was looking at: The Hokage's Momument.

"It's funny…" Naruto said making Tayuya turn back towards him, "…he's the most important person in the village. And yet almost everyone here can't stand his legacy; if I leave…I would be doing just the same. You'd understand if you knew who the legacy was." Tayuya looked at Naruto in confusion before she saw the seal that was on his stomach start to appear as it had before. Naruto smiled a bit more as the seal started to fade away and he got up. "So, are we going to get started?" Tayuya, still in a little daze, snapped out of it as she looked around.

"Right. Now let me just…" Tayuya said as she started walking back a bit. "…there. Okay, try and sneak up on me." Tayuya said as she turned around and crossed her arms. Naruto took a moment to look at her before he shrugged and crouched low. Taking one step, a rock slipped out and fell into the water. "Stop."

"What?"

"Stop where you are and stay there." Tayuya said as she turned around. Seeing that Naruto only made it one step, she only shook her head in disapproval. "Seriously? How are you supposed to get better?"

"How should I know?" Naruto responded as he turned around and lifted a leg.

"I didn't say you can move." Tayuya said making Naruto stop. "Stay right there and cross your arms." Tayuya said as she placed her hands on her hips. "This can help with your detection skills as well. I want you to say stop whenever you hear me make a single noise." Tayuya as she started walking closer. After a minute of silence, Naruto let out a sigh as he undid his arms.

"How is this supposed-" Naruto started before he turned around and was face to face with Tayuya. "Whoa!" Naruto shouted as he stumbled back. Tayuya only smirked as Naruto picked himself up in a hurry and pointed at her. "H-how did you get so close?"

"Simple, I walked." Tayuya said as she crossed her arms.

"But I didn't hear you moving." Naruto said as Tayuya rolled her eyes.

"That's the point. You were supposed to focus on finding me as I walked. If I were an enemy you would've been lying on the ground with your neck wide open." Tayuya said before she held out her hand. "Now give me your headband."

"What?" Naruto asked in bewilderment.

"Your headband…give it." Tayuya said.

"Why?"

"Cause you lost the round." Tayuya said confusing Naruto. "Look, the purpose is to get as close to each other without being heard. Since I managed to do it, I get to take something from you." Tayuya said as she held out her hand again. "Now, headband."

"This sucks…" Naruto said as he untied his headband and placed it in Tayuya's hand. Smiling, the redhead tied the cloth and metal band around her neck before she walked back to the same distance.

"Now try again." Tayuya said as she turned around and crossed her arms once more. Naruto only sighed as he lifted up his leg again to take a step forward. Just he his foot landed on the rocks, the same happened again with a rock making a splashing sound. "Stop." Tayuya said as she turned around. Seeing Naruto in the same position as before, Tayuya only shook her head as she motioned Naruto to turn around.

"This is not helping." Naruto said as he turned and crossed his arms. However, he jumped around in surprise when he felt a finger tap him on his shoulder. Seeing Tayuya, right behind him once again, Naruto held back his shock while he undid his back pouch and handed it over.

-1 Hour Later-

"Argh! This is impossible!" Naruto shouted as he handed over his keys to his apartment. Tayuya, having gained some concern at Naruto's behavior, didn't smile as she took the keys and put them in her pocket. "What am I doing wrong?" Naruto asked as he turned around. Tayuya stopped as she turned around and simply stood where she was while Naruto only crossed his arms. She had to admit, Naruto was quick to catch on to ideas when he practiced them, having been able to sense her when she only made one step and balanced out the amount of times he was caught compared to her.

"Naruto," Tayuya said, surprising the blond with the fact she didn't leave, "how are trying to sneak exactly?" Naruto unfolded his arms as he turned around. Tayuya, having taken ten steps back, only watched as Naruto crouched to the floor a bit and started to carefully maneuver his way towards her. Seeing how he moved, she instantly knew what his problem was…he wasn't focusing on her. Blushing at the meaning, Tayuya shook her head as Naruto made another rock splash against the water.

"See!?" Naruto said as he got up. Tayuya frowned a bit before she walked up to the blonde and grabbed his wrist.

"I see what your problem is." Tayuya said, "You're not focusing enough."

"How hard do I need to focus? I've tried so hard not to make a noise but I screw up anyways." Naruto said while Tayuya only shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. You're not focusing on your target; in this case, it's me." Tayuya said, confusing Naruto. "Think of it like this, you need to focus on the other end and create an omnipresent sense in order to let you move without hassle. In other words, don't worry about where you step, your body will do that, you just need to worry about getting near me." Naruto took a thinking pose before he nodded.

"I guess that makes sense." Naruto said while Tayuya smiled and nodded as well.

"Good. Now, try to walk over to me without making a sound…and take your time." Tayuya said as she watched Naruto fail almost instantly when he slipped on a rock. Motioning him to start at the beginning, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she faced him.

"Arg…" Naruto growled out lowly while Tayuya frowned.

"Remember, just focus on me; let your body move on its own." Looking up, Naruto sighed before took a deep, relaxing breath of air. Calming himself down and thinking of nothing but Tayuya, Naruto opened his eyes. As if reading his mind, the clouds parted a bit to allow the moon to illuminate the girl in front of him perfectly. Seeing how she looked, Naruto took note of how beautiful she looked. The color of her hair having turned unique with the moon's rays reflecting off of it and making it seem slightly lighter while her skin seemed to gain a porcelain-like shine to it.

'She looks like an angel…' Naruto thought as he took his first steps. With his mind and eyes focused completely on Tayuya, Naruto never took note of how his body seemed to react to everything else; his feet constantly moving as they felt for lose rocks and turned to avoid making noise as he got closer. The sound of clapping snapped him out of his daze, making him realize that he was standing in front of Tayuya, a gentle smile on her face.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Tayuya asked as she reached around her neck and untied the headband around her neck. Naruto said nothing as he reached out for it and tied the band around his head. Tayuya could only smile as she and Naruto continued to look at one another in the faded moonlight. Without much thought, Tayuya watched as Naruto's hand came up and cupped her cheek.

"Naruto…?" Tayuya asked when she felt Naruto's hand on her face. Looking towards him, she was surprised a bit when she saw his face was getting closer to hers. Rather than pushing the blonde away, Tayuya found her head also leaning forward as her eyes closed. Thinking of how this would play out, the two were snapped out of their daze by a splashing sound and what sounded like a toad croaking. Seeing how close they were, the two jumped back in surprise and embarrassment before they started look at else other than each other's faces.

"Sorry…" Naruto said, "I don't know what came over me." He nervously scratched the back of his head, putting on a wide grin of his own. Tayuya only nodded in agreement as she looked down to the floor, her face as red as her hair.

"W-well…we should continue training. Why don't you go back and try it again? J-just to be sure you've got it." The blond stiffly nodded his head and walked backwards to his original spot, his mind jumbled with confusing thoughts.

"Okay…like last time. Do what you did before…focus solely on me." Tayuya said with a blush as she turned around and crossed her arms. Naruto closed his eyes as well before he opened them and let loose the small breath he'd been holding as he took a firm step forward. Without even staring at his feet, he knew exactly where he and every little stone was as he walked up to a blushing Tayuya without making a sound.

'It's incredible that he got this down with just a little help.' Tayuya thought as she continued to look forward, 'and just then, when we were in front of another…did he try to kiss me?' Lost in her own thoughts, Tayuya almost missed the feeling of her hat being taken off her head. Turning around, Tayuya was surprised to see Naruto standing a few feet away from her, her hat surprisingly staying on his head.

"I did it…" Naruto said with a smile as Tayuya nodded in agreement. Looking away, Tayuya reached into her pocket and took out Naruto's keys.

"Here…" Tayuya said, turning her head back a bit, "…we should probably get some rest. We'll do the same thing tomorrow…after we go over everything else." Tayuya as she dropped the keys into Naruto's hand. Naruto only nodded as Tayuya turned and started walking away from the ravine, leaving the blonde alone with only the sound of toad croaking.

"Stupid toad…" Naruto said as he left the area as well, making him miss the white-haired man that walked out from the bushes on the other side. A notepad in his hand and a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Hm…it seems he doesn't need my help after all. Sensei's going to be well pleased about the boy's progress. And he's even got himself a little hellfire like his father." The man said as he walked over to the toad. "Nice job Ichibara."

"Anytime." The toad said as it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

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><p>AN: Well how do you like that? Next time: getting familiar and a quick spar.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: and we're back. This chapter is more of a flashback, showing all that's happened, before Tayuya puts Naruto's training to the test.

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><p>҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Training Ravine¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉<p>

"One ninety-seven…one ninety-eight…one ninety-nine…two hundred." Naruto counted off as he pushed himself off the water. Off to the side, Tayuya was currently looking over a scroll that explained the use of seals. While she was no seal expert, she had started picking up the habit of researching what seal did what and how they were used in battle. Something she had to thank Naruto for since he started to show interest in it.

"Still looking over that scroll Tayuya-chan?" Naruto asked prompting the redhead to look up and nod. The blonde wrapped a towel around his neck after he dried his hair and sat down next to the redhead before he began reading over her shoulder.

"Back the fuck off! I was reading it first!" Tayuya said as she scooted away from Naruto and looked at the scroll. As odd as it was, Tayuya was actually fond of when Naruto would read over her shoulder, like a lost puppy. Seeing him inch his way over, Tayuya only rolled her eyes before she got up and walked back over to the blonde…only to sit in his lap as the two of them began looking over the scroll.

To most, this would seem like a loving couple that's reading up on something for fun. To the two, it equated to the sense of fulfillment as they looked over the contents together. Over the past month, the two grew closer to one another as the days they trained passed. While they didn't recognize it, they grew fond of the other's company and often felt empty when they departed from one another after training was complete.

"Hard to believe that the Finals are in two days." Naruto said as Tayuya nodded and continued to read the scroll as she and Naruto leaned back against a tree. In the comfortable silence, Naruto took his time to close his eyes and rest his head on Tayuya's shoulder; something that made the redhead blush a bit. She was used to Naruto nodding off but it still felt odd for her when he rested his head against her shoulder before he would fall asleep.

'I still remember when found out that the teme branded him.' Tayuya thought, remembering when she found out about the Five Prong Seal that was on Naruto for a majority of the month. In fact, the two barely had the seal removed two days prior.

_-Day 10 Into Training-_

_Tayuya sighed as she watched Naruto fall into the deep ravine they two had found. She was surprised really, Naruto had managed to not only learn and master the basic stance of a shinobi in six days; but also managed to alter it a bit to fit his fighting style of being a brawler. Since then, the two had been working on water walking in order for Naruto to learn more fighting techniques he could us._

"_Kami…Shithead! I told you to focus!" Tayuya shouted as she stood at the edge. "You need to send out the right amount of chakra in order to stand on the fucking water!" Tayuya said as she saw Naruto fall through once more._

"_I'm trying alright!" Naruto shouted back as he burst out of the water. "I just can't seem to mold my chakra right! It's like something's restricting it!" Naruto shouted as he tried to stand on top of the water…only to fall through it once again. Tayuya however was in thought as she repeated what Naruto just said to her._

'_Like something's restricting it?' Tayuya thought, thinking of a reason chakra coils would restrict themselves. Searching her mind for something related to the subject, Tayuya's eyes widened as she looked at Naruto and saw him fall once more. 'It can't be…he wouldn't…would he?' Tayuya thought, knowing of one technique that might have been used. 'Orochimaru-sama did say that he was in that forest. Either way I have to check!' _

"_Hey shithead! Get the fuck over here!" Tayuya called out as Naruto burst through the surface of the water._

"_Huh? Hold on! I think I can do it this time!" Naruto shouted as he tried standing up once again. That didn't last long because Tayuya pulled out a kunai and aimed for the blonde's head making him duck and fall into the water._

"_Now you're fucking done! So get your ass over here now before I cut it off and feed it to you on a fucking platter!" Tayuya shouted. Naruto instantly paled, knowing that Tayuya might make good on her word since she almost did the same thing with his ear. Swimming as fast as he could, the blonde was in front of the redhead in record time._

"_I'm here…don't hurt me…" Naruto panted out and he started to stand up. Tayuya only crossed her arms as she waited for Naruto to stand up and look at her. "What do want?" Naruto asked._

"_Take off your shirt." Tayuya said suddenly, making Naruto a little shocked._

"…_what?" Naruto asked not believing what he heard._

"_You heard me: take your shirt off." Tayuya said making Naruto even more scared. Seeing the blonde in a daze of sorts, Tayuya took matters in her own hands and grabbed the hem of Naruto's shirt and started to lift it up._

"_What are you doing? Let go!" Naruto said as he started fighting back, determined to keep his shirt on. The ensuing struggle between the two started to move as Naruto fought his hardest to keep his shirt on. At that precise moment Tayuya managed to rip the shirt off Naruto was the exact time the blonde lost his balance and fell into the water. With her victory short lived, Tayuya only let out a short scream before she fell as well._

"_Tayuya!" Naruto shouted as he quickly wrapped his arms around the redhead taking most of the impact they fell into the water. Bursting out of the water, Tayuya immediately tried attacking Naruto as the blonde blocked her moves._

"_Shithead! I'm going to kill you!" Tayuya said as she jumped on Naruto and the two fell into the water again._

"_Why?! I just wanted to keep my shirt on!" Naruto shouted as the two burst from the water again. Grabbing the redhead's arms and walking with her to the edge, Naruto let go and took a few steps back. Getting back to dry land, Tayuya grabbed her hair and began to ring it free of water. Once she was done the redhead grabbed the soaked shirt near the edge and hurled it at Naruto's making him stumble back and fall into the water for the umpth time. _

"_What did I do?" Naruto asked as he crawled out of the water. Tayuya only glared at him as she took off her shirt and began ring it out, in the process making Naruto turn away a bit and blush. Placing her shirt on a nearby rock, Tayuya turned around and only crossed her arms._

"_Are you going to fucking listen?" Tayuya asked. When Naruto nodded but didn't turn back Tayuya only rolled her eyes as she walked up to the blonde. "Now I need to check something." Tayuya said as she stopped and placed a hand on Naruto's stomach. "I want you to gather chakra." Tayuya said before she looked up and saw a hesitant Naruto. "What the fuck is wrong?"_

"_N-nothing! It's just…I'm a little scared of you seeing anything." Naruto said, alluding to his seal that held the Nine-tails._

"_That's what I fucking counting on shit for brains!" Tayuya said. "Now do it!" Naruto only sighed as he closed his eyes and put his hands together. Looking back at the blonde's stomach, Tayuya watched as a seal started to imprint its self on Naruto's skin._

'_The fuck? This isn't the Five Prong Seal. This is more complex…something that can't be done on the fly.' Tayuya thought as she watched the seal grow more. 'Who could do something like this? There aren't many seal master in the world…especially one that placed this on shithead.' Tayuya thought as she continued to look over the seal. That was when she noticed something. 'Right there…Orochimaru seemed to place the Five Prong Seal over this one. That's why he can't control his chakra…fuck, he's been training with access to only half his reserves and control.'_

"_Hey shithead." Tayuya said making Naruto open his eyes. "Did you ever get punched in the gut by someone?" The redhead asked as she rubbed her hands over Naruto's stomach._

"_Yeah…it usually happens with my teammate Sakura." Naruto said not knowing what Tayuya meant._

"_No I mean only with five fingers." Tayuya clarified before Naruto took a thinking pose._

"_Now that you mention it…yeah. During the second portion of the exams, I met Orochimaru who punched me in the stomach." Naruto said making Tayuya nod a bit before she stood up. "You mean when he punched me…he mess up my chakra?"_

"_Pretty much. You've been fighting at literally half your full strength this entire time." Tayuya said. Naruto only nodded as he went back to the water. "Don't bother with the exercise. You won't be able to do it until you get that seal off. That doesn't mean you won't be doing nothing…we'll just work with less advance exercises until you gain enough to walk on water" Tayuya said as she picked up her shirt._

-Flashback End-

Even though she told Naruto not to continue the exercise, she found that whenever they finished for the day that he would continue with walker now and again. It proved to be beneficial because after the seal had been removed by Jiraiya of Sannin, Naruto's control had skyrocketed and nearly improved his original control by ten times. Discovering that her leader had placed a blocking seal on made Tayuya somewhat fear and respect Naruto, her assumption of him being fierce in a battlefield not being off the ball.

"Well, nice to see you two getting cozy with one another." A voice called out making Tayuya look to her left to see Kin and Jiraiya walking towards them. Tayuya blushed at the comment before she rolled up the scroll and gently got from Naruto.

"Nice to see you too Kin." Tayuya said as the two females hugged. Kin having been cleared to leave the hospital and was then placed in hiding.

"How is he?" Jiraiya asked as all three looked at the sleeping blonde.

"You know him Pervy Sage, fighting until he can't anymore." Tayuya said making the man a little crestfallen upon hearing his nickname.

"Are you going to always call me that?" Jiraiya asked making Tayuya nod her head. Hanging his head, Jiraiya let out a few anime tears before he looked up and saw Naruto starting to wake up, if the yawning and stretching were any indication. Smiling at the blonde, the older man focused his thoughts on the boy's sensei. His opinion of man was not a good as bright as they were before when he learned that the man hadn't corrected Naruto's flaws or at least tried. While he understood the man's view, wanting to protect a more endangered person, he saw as irresponsible when he handed Naruto over to Ebisu.

'Even more so since Ebisu had immediately back out when Kakashi had left the two alone.' Jiraiya thought hearing of that from Naruto. 'Add to that, Kakashi didn't bother to see if Naruto's seal had been tampered with in anyway. Kakashi's remark about the kid overall level was an obvious conclusion on the man's teaching. I mean it's been six months and he couldn't manage to fix some of the kid's obvious weaknesses!' Jiraiya thought. But he had to give it to Naruto, that kid was tenacious. He had to thank Tayuya for being so gracious on teaching the boy the ropes…or as much as she could.

"Pervy Sage? Hello~ Pervy Sage." Naruto said catching Jiraiya's attention once more.

"Hm? What is it?" Jiraiya said, noticing how Tayuya and Kin were sitting under a tree and talking.

"I said how about a spar? I want to see how much I've grown over the past month!" Naruto said with a little excitement. Jiraiya looked at the blonde before a smile graced his face and he only shrugged.

"Sure why not?" Jiraiya said making Naruto jump in victory. "What to have here?" Jiraiya asked before Naruto looked around.

"How about on the water?" Naruto asked, seeing as it was far enough from the girls.

"You sure Naruto? Fighting on water is different than fighting on land." Jiraiya said before Naruto nodded. "Alright then." Jiraiya said before both walked onto the water, catching the two girls' attention. Once the two had reached the center of the water, they got into their stances, Naruto in his newly created one and Jiraiya in his own signature stance.

"You can do it Naruto!" Kin shouted as Naruto looked at them and gave them a thumbs up.

"Alright is this just going to be spar fight?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto nodded and pulled a kunai and threw it into the air. As soon as the projectile hit the water the two rushed at one another. Within in a step, Naruto threw out his left leg in an attempt to get the Toad Sage's side but that was easily blocked. Jiraiya smiled and pushed forward as he grabbed Naruto's arm and threw the blonde over his shoulder.

Naruto rolled against the water and got into his stance once more while Jiraiya eased back into his. Without a word, the two ran forward and slammed into one another with their fists stretched out. Jiraiya pulled back his fist and threw another punch only for Naruto to duck underneath and send a kick up to older man's face. Jiraiya immediately flipped in the air and landed safely on the water.

"Lucky shot Naruto…a very strong leg you've got there." Jiraiya said as he wiped the blood that was on the edge of his mouth. Naruto only smiled before settled in his stance and waited for Jiraiya to move. At the first twitch, Naruto moved to his right as the sage ran up to him in attempt to kick his head off. Dropping to the floor, Naruto pulled in his legs before they shot out in a mule kick that hit Jiraiya's side and sent him stumbling back a bit. "Well, guess I have to step it up a notch."

'I knew he was taking it easy on me.' Naruto thought as he saw Jiraiya move forward with his arm cocked back. Following example, Naruto ran forward as well before he dropped into a slide heading for Jiraiya's legs. The sage jumped out of the way as Naruto slid past him and managed to grab Naruto by his hair before he yanked the blonde up. Naruto quickly recovered from the punch lifted one of his legs to Sasuke's chest and thrust it out, knocking away the man.

"That…was close…" Naruto said as he fell to the water, struggling to maintain his control and keep afloat. Seeing Jiraiya regain his balance, Naruto got up and ran forward with his fist pulled back. Cocking his head to the left, Jiraiya sent out a punch to Naruto's chest as the Uzumaki missed his initial strike. Not wasting time, Jiraiya quickly followed up with this by kicking Naruto once before he did another kick that sent the blonde flying back.

"Can you dodge this?" Jiraiya shouted as he did some quick hand-signs. "Ninja Art: Needle Hell!" Naruto, having lost some control, only covered himself as the needles rained down on him.

"Naruto!" Tayuya and Kin both shouted as the water around Naruto had started splashing around. The two were about to dive into the water, but Jiraiya's voice reached their ears.

"Don't! He's not dead." The sage said, wishing he could see where blonde was underwater. Knowing that water had a tendency to mess with one's sensor abilities, Jiraiya didn't bother using his own. The two former Oto girls were a little apprehensive about the sage's word but both waited by the edge. After a few minutes, the three grew more tensed as they felt something rising to the surface.

"Naruto!" Tayuya shouted once the boy appeared on the water's surface, body riddled with needles and some blood coming out. Jiraiya grew tensed at that as he ran over and picked up Naruto.

'Maybe that technique was a little too much.' Jiraiya said as he turned around and started to walk back to the others. Taking one step, he stopped and looked around before he looked at Naruto's still form. Taking a close look, Jiraiya's eyes widened when Naruto exploded in a puff of white smoke.

"WHAT!?" Jiraiya shouted before he felt a seven fists connect with his face, sending him flying out of the smoke. Tayuya and Kin both looked on in shock as Jiraiya landed on the water and steadied himself. Looking up, he was surprised to see Naruto with six clones standing at his sides.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu…very useful don't you think?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya, as well as the others on the side, only smiled as Naruto looked at his clones. "Smoke bomb." One of the clones nodded before they took out a smoke bomb, but instead had used their hands to crack the casing. All of a sudden four figures burst from the smoke and ran at full speed towards Jiraiya who looked at them with a smirk.

"You gotta do better than that Naruto." The clones ignored Jiraiya's words before three of them ducked and the other jumped into the air. Jiraiya, seeing the move strategy was about to jump away before he felt something grip his feet. Looking down, he saw the last two clones beneath him acting as weights.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" Naruto shouted as he and his clones charged for a final time with the intention of winning the fight. As soon as the five were within 5 feet of their target, they spread out as the original cocked back his fist and nailed Jiraiya straight in the face. Jiraiya stumbled back a bit, taking note of the punch, before he was met with a kick to his chin from four different angles that sent him straight into the air.

'Incredible!' Jiraiya thought as he opened his eyes and was greeted with Naruto swinging down his heel.

"Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto shouted as his heel connected with the back of Sage's skull and sent the man crashing towards the floor. Tayuya and Kin both waited as the water settled to see Jiraiya, floating on his back while Naruto was jumping on the surface. Seeing him win, the two both ran up to congratulate him on winning the fight.

'Amazing…to create such a plan in such a short time.' Jiraiya thought as he saw Naruto celebrating his victory. 'Minato…he's just like you.' The toad sage thought before he started to get up.

"Alright, how bout we go and get something to eat? My treat." Jiraiya said as the three all nodded.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, nice to see I can try at doing a romance. Just a few more before this ends.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Love is in the air in this chapter. Will the two go for it?

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><p>҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Konoha Shinobi Store¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉<p>

"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked from inside the stall he was in. With today being the last day before the finals, both Tayuya and Kin had taken upon themselves to have Naruto acquire a new set of clothes. With Jiraiya's help, and a 'powerful new jutsu' on the line, Naruto found himself dragged across the village stores as Kin searched for every single piece of clothing that would suit the blonde better.

"Don't worry about it Naruto." Kin called back as Tayuya leaned against the wall. "Just come out when you feel ready and toss out anything you don't want." Hearing the shuffling of clothes and the small pile clothes that started to appear, the two girls started to sweat-drop at the growing pile as more and more clothes were being tossed out by Naruto.

"Is there anything here that's orange?" Naruto called out as he threw out some pants.

"No orange Naruto." Kin said as Tayuya started to pick up the clothes. "You need to look more like a shinobi."

"Can't I get something that at least has a line of orange?" Naruto asked. Both Tayuya and Kin shared look with one another before Tayuya left to look around.

"Fine." Kin said as she started putting shirt on hangers and folding other clothes. Tayuya on the other hand, was looking through the many clothes that lined the store's shelves. Pulling out one of the shirts, Tayuya frowned when she saw that it didn't have orange. Putting it back and pulling out another, Tayuya pretended to gag at the amount of orange.

"Looking for something ma'am?" A voice called out making Tayuya turn around. Seeing a kind old woman smiling at her, Tayuya was a little hesitant at telling her she was looking for an article of clothing that only had a hint of orange on it. Taking a look towards Kin, Tayuya turned back only to see the woman staring at Kin as well.

"Ah I see…" the woman said as she turned back to Tayuya, "you're with the boy aren't you?" Tayuya was about to defend Naruto, knowing his reputation after he told her when they were training. She was stopped by the old woman letting out a gentle laugh. "Calm yourself child. I mean no harm to him…in fact I had been waiting for him for a while now." The aged woman said as she turned around. "Come, come. I think you'll find this much to his liking…and yours as well." The old woman said, laughing at Tayuya's blush.

"How do you know Naruto?" Tayuya asked, seeing Kin waving at her while she folded more clothes.

"Who do you think was the one that gave him that jumpsuit he always wore?" the old woman asked in response, making Tayuya look at her. "Yes, I heard about him and his deeds but unlike most young ones today; I can tell a kunai from a scroll." The old woman said. "I saw him looking at a pair of clothes in a window when he was very small. Before the owner had chased him away, I saw how he seemed to want attention."

"Really?" Tayuya asked, wanting to know more.

"Indeed." The old woman said as she continued walking, "as you can see, I'm quite handy with fabric. When I saw him eyeing a jumpsuit in a window; I began looking it over in terms of design. It was nothing but an ordinary cloth with holes in it. So I decided to make him some better ones…one that would suit him better. " Tayuya only nodded as she followed the old woman to a door. "Seeing how he looked at the time, I made version that was suited for the weather; making it durable to withstand the cold but thin enough to let out any heat."

"But why orange?" Tayuya asked.

"Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is often associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. These are the traits that I can see in the boy every time I look at him." The old woman responded as she stopped at a shelf. "But now, I think it's time for a change…something meant for true shinobi and kunoichi." The old woman said as she reached up and pulled out a box, the words 'For the Legacy' written on the sides.

"You made him a new outfit?" Tayuya asked. The old woman smiled as she opened the box and pulled out its contents. It seemed to be a metal chest plate as well as matching gauntlets, pants and boots. On top of the pile were two sets of masks; one covering the entire face while the other only covered the lower half of a face. "You made these?" Tayuya asked picked up the shirt and noticed that it didn't look as heavy as it looked.

"Impressive if I do say so myself." The old woman said, "there are many seals on these that are meant to do many things. The most prominent I've made were the sizing seals and the hardening seals." The woman said as she held up the torso. "By channeling chakra into the seal in the tag," the woman said as she started to do so, "it hardens the plates and makes them as strong as steel."

"Amazing." Tayuya said as she watched the shirt start to take form from the chakra.

"There's also a sizing and repair seal on it that will allow it to change size and fix itself so it never has to changed or replaced." The woman said as she handed it to Tayuya. "Why don't you put it on?" Tayuya was a little hesitant before she took off her own shirt and slipped on the one she was given. As soon as she poked her head out, the seals started to activate, Tayuya feeling as the shirt started to shrink a bit in order to fit snuggly around her curves.

"I think he'll love it." Tayuya said as the old woman nodded. "Do you have another pair?" Tayuya asked, wondering if she could give one to Kin as well.

-With Naruto and Kin-

"Hey, Kin." Naruto said as he walked back into the dressing room.

"What's up?" Kin asked as she caught another shirt Naruto threw out.

"Did Tayuya ever have a boyfriend before?" Naruto asked, surprising Kin. Smiling at the dressing room, Kin debated on whether or not to tell Tayuya. "Kin? You there?"

"Huh? Oh, no, Tayuya never had a boyfriend." Kin said as Naruto stepped out of the dressing room. Seeing how he looked more decent, Kin grabbed his hand and dragged him around to the pants section. "Why sudden interest?"

"No real reason." Naruto lied, "I just thought she would lighten up on training if she had one." Kin looked at Naruto with a skeptical gaze.

"That could be true. She's usually always in a serious or angry mood." Kin said as she pulled a pair of black pants off of the rack, holding them up to Naruto's legs like a mother would do to their child. "The only time she's docile is when she's with me or…" Kin started but stopped as put the pants back.

"…or?" Naruto asked, wanting to know who the other person was. Kin only forced the garment into his hands, pushing him into the dressing room

"Try those on." Kin said a she closed the door. Looking around for Tayuya, Kin grew a little worried about where her best friend was.

'Hopefully not causing trouble.' Kin thought as she waited for Naruto to exit the room. When the blonde stepped out, Kin saw how the pants she gave him fit perfectly, being tight enough to not fall off during vigorous training but loose enough to give him his full range of motion. Walking up to him and kneeling to check the tag she spoke up.

"Look if it's bothering you so much how about you ask Tayuya?" Kin asked. Naruto frowned at those words and shut his mouth. While he wasn't really scared of Tayuya, her anger seemed to increase when he asked about her personal life. Nodding at the idea, Naruto tried to figure out how to talk to her about him feelings. He may not really understand the concept of love, but damn it all to hell if he doesn't at least try to make things work between him and Tayuya.

'But what if she rejects me?' Naruto thought.

"Here…this should fit." Kin said as she shoved another pair of pants in his hands and ushered him into the dressing room once more. The girl contemplating on how she can get Naruto and Tayuya together.

-With Tayuya-

"…and that's how it's been." Tayuya finished as she finished packing the third box that held Kin's new clothes. The old woman that she was currently talking to only nodded her head as she picked up one of the three boxes Tayuya had packed.

"…you suffer from the same thing another does; a poor girl that can't express her feelings." The old woman said as she opened the door leading back to the store.

"Really?" Tayuya asked as she followed the woman.

"Indeed. She would often follow the poor boy when she got the chance." The woman said with slight smile, "But when she would get the chance to talk to him…she would simply freeze up or faint." Tayuya only nodded as she placed the boxes down on the counter. "Not something to do if you wish to express your feelings. The boy is dense as well, not really understanding the concepts of anything…especially love."

"Sounds like Naruto…" Tayuya said before the lightbulb lit up in her head. "Wait…it is Naruto isn't it?"

"My you do catch on quickly." The old woman said, "Yes it is. Unfortunately, so is the other girl that is pining for his affection." Tayuya frowned at that. "But it seems you have something she lacks."

"What is it?" Tayuya asked.

"Confidence. If you can tell him how you feel first…then no doubt that he'll return it in kind." The old woman said. "He may not understand the concept, but if it mean being with someone then he'll try his hardest to make things work."

"Hey Tayuya! There you are." Kin called out as she and Naruto walked up to the counter with a pile of clothes. "Did you manage to find something?" Tayuya only smiled as she nodded and motioned to the boxes.

"Yeah, actually, I got all three of us something." Tayuya said. The two looked at the boxes in surprise before the walked over and placed the clothes on the counter as well. The old woman only smiled as she rang up the total cost, surprising all three of them at the total amount.

"Hey, that's at least half of what we owe." Naruto pointed out, making the girls nod.

"Is it? My, I swear I put a sign in the window today." The old woman countered. The three all looked at one another before they walked outside and looked at the window to the store. Sure enough, there was a sign on display.

Clearance Sale

_50% off all purchases_

_Shinobi Attire and Items 65% off for registered shinobi_

"Oh…" the three said at once upon seeing the display. Walking back to the counter, Naruto pulled out his frog purse and pour out its contents. The three females looked on in surprise at the amount of money that came pouring out of the frog's mouth.

"Is this enough?" Naruto asked, pushing a small mound of money forward. The old woman nodded slowly as she gathered the money started to sort it out. Both Tayuya and Kin looked at Naruto with wide eyes as he waited for his change.

"Here you go and please come again." The old woman said as she handed a nicely banded stack of bills to Naruto. Smiling, Naruto grabbed his bags while Kin and Tayuya grabbed the boxes.

"So what do you want to do now?" Naruto asked as he turned around. Tayuya and Kin both looked at one another before the both of them shrugged…but Naruto saw a slight glint in Kin's eye.

"Why don't you and Tayuya find something to do?" Kin asked as she placed her box on top of Tayuya's. Grabbing Naruto's clothes as well, Kin quickly took everything they bought and started walking away. "I'll just take these over to Naruto's apartment and catch up with you two later."

"…okay." Naruto said as Kin gained more distance from the two. Tayuya stood where she was in shock at seeing how Kin had just left her, even more so when she saw the glint in the girl's eye. "Want to go to the park?" Naruto asked, snapping Tayuya out of her daze.

"S-sure…" Tayuya said as she looked down to cover her face.

҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Konoha Park¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉

Naruto and Tayuya both kept their heads low as they walked through the village. While they were comfortable being near one another, that was when it was just the two of them; not when their out in public. Walking over to a bench, the two of them looked around and watched as little kids and their parents were playing on the fields or on the playground.

"It's nice isn't it?" Naruto asked out of the blue, scaring Tayuya a bit. Looking at her, he smiled as he pointed towards the family across the field, having a picnic. Looking at them, Tayuya also smiled at seeing the family of four enjoying the day and each other's company.

"Yeah…it is. I wonder what it's like though…" Tayuya said, catching Naruto's attention as she continued to stare at the family, "…you know, to be carefree like them. Not having to worry about things like the two of us do; raising a family. Normal things a civilian would do." Naruto turned his attention back to the family as they all seemed to gather around and take a picture.

"Do they have a casino around here?" Tayuya asked out of the blue. Naruto looked at her before he took a thinking pose.

"I think so…yeah, across the village." Naruto said as he got up. Offering his hand, he smiled a bit as Tayuya took it and lifted herself up.

҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Golden Tree Casino¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉

"I need to see some ID please." A man said as he held out his arm to stop Tayuya and Naruto from entering. Naruto only pointed to his forehead protector while Tayuya reached into her pocket and fished out her ID. Taking a look at Tayuya's, the guard raised an eyebrow before he only shrugged and moved aside. "Enjoy your stay at the Golden Tree Casino."

"Thank you." Naruto said as he and Tayuya stepped past him. Looking around, the two were amazed to see big the building was on the inside. To their left was obviously an exchange booth where a line of people stood, waiting to turn their money into casino coins.

"C'mon Naruto," Tayuya said as she grabbed Naruto by the hand and led him into the line, "think you have enough money?"

"Yeah…" Naruto said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of bills from earlier. "…I think so at least. How much would this get us?"

"Don't know." Tayuya said with a shrug, "maybe a round or two?" Naruto only nodded as he walked up to the woman behind the booth.

"How can I help you?" the woman said as she looked at Naruto and Tayuya with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh…what can I get with this?" Naruto said as he raised the single stack. The woman looked surprised before she quickly got over it and simply opened the compartment in front of Naruto.

"Please place any money in the compartment below and I'll have them exchanged for you." The woman said. Naruto only shrugged as he placed the single stack in the little box in front of him. The two only waited as the woman placed the bills in a machine which quickly counted it and started spitting out coins in a small coin box "There you go sir. Have a wonderful time at in the casino." The woman said as the compartment opened up to reveal the box of coins she had filled.

"Thanks." Naruto said as he grabbed the box and took off with Tayuya, wondering what to play first as they walked through a door.

-4 Hours Later-

"Wow…this place is amazing." Naruto said as he looked at the six coin boxes he had. In the four hours the two had been here, the time they had went well as they found out Naruto had and extremely lucky streak the entire time. Whether it be playing Poker, Black Jack, using the slot machines or something else, Naruto never seemed to lose when a lot of coins were on the live.

"Yeah…" Tayuya said as she leaned against Naruto. "*Yawn*Want to do something else?" Tayuya asked as she rubbed her eyes. Naruto simply wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling as he thought of something to do. When they walked out of the building, Naruto saw the sun was going to set in a few minutes.

"Hey, want to see something beautiful?" Naruto asked as Tayuya looked at him. With a shrug, Naruto started to walk in towards the Hokage's Monument.

҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Hokage Momument¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉

"What are we doing here…*Yawn*…Naruto?" Naruto only smiled as he walked up the steps, taking glances back to see where the sun was. Reaching the top, Naruto smiled as he lead Tayuya across the heads of the four previous Hokages and took a seat on the fourth.

"Watch." Naruto said as Tayuya looked at him before she turned towards the village below. Her eyes slowed widened as she saw the sun start to set over the village, a few light from the shops turning on their light for the night. As the sun dipped lower past the horizon, Tayuya watched the entire village as it came to life for the night and started to light up the night sky.

"It's…beautiful…" Tayuya said as Naruto nodded and continued to look on as the sun started to fade. Feeling a Tayuya snuggle up to him, Naruto forgot the scenery as he looked down, seeing the redhead contempt at the moment. Tayuya could only smile as she and Naruto sat with one another in the dying sunset.

"Hey Tayuya-chan…" Naruto said, catching the redhead's attention. Without a word, Tayuya turned to see Naruto's hand came up and cupped her cheek, reminding her of the events that happened when they were in the woods.

"Naruto…?" Tayuya asked when she felt Naruto's hand on her face. Looking towards him, she was surprised a bit when she saw his face was getting closer to hers. Not fighting against Naruto's hand, Tayuya simply closed her eyes as she started leaning her head in as well. Both moved slowly towards each other and before they knew it, they were locking lips and kissing while the last rays of the sun died out and the two were left in the dark atop the monument. After a few moments, the two broke apart and simply stared into each other's eyes for as long as they could.

"…I love you, and I would do anything for you." Naruto said out of the blue. Tayuya's eyes widened at those words as she continued to stare at Naruto. The entire time she had been wondering how she would confess, yet it surprised her that Naruto also held the same feelings she did. In a second, Tayuya tackled Naruto to the floor before she connected her lips with Naruto once against. When the second kiss ended, Tayuya could only smile as Naruto looked up at her.

"I love you, too." Tayuya said as she laid her head on Naruto's chest. Naruto said nothing as he wrapped an arm around Tayuya and held her close as she started to fall asleep on top of him. Getting up, he decided to take the two of them to his house.

* * *

><p>AN: And there you have it; my attempt at writing a date and man do I suck at it. Anyway, Next time will be the fight and the invasion.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: and now we have the Final Exams. Naruto vs Neji…Who will fate decide?

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><p>҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Naruto's Apartment¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉<p>

Naruto woke up with a start as he looked around his room. Looking right next to him, he saw that Tayuya was gone with only the box she had gotten him yesterday a few feet away. Getting up, he walked over to the container before picking it up and seeing a note on it. Tearing it off, Naruto looked it over as a smile started to appear on his face.

_Dear Naruto-kun,_

_By the time you read this, I won't be with you at your apartment. Don't take it badly, but I needed to go and see Kin real quickly and then meet up with my sensei for the exams. Someone from Oto was supposed to be in the finals and we were supposed to go root for him. In this box was the same thing I bought for you yesterday at the clothing store. I left some another note in there to explains something else._

_Please don't be mad at me for not being there this morning. I'll see you at the finals and root for you in the stands._

_Love, Tayuya_

Naruto smiled at that and wondered why would be mad at Tayuya. He knew she was a part of another village, so he expected her to not be able to stay with him the day of the finals. Shrugging, Naruto placed the note aside as he opened the box. Pulling out the two masks and shirt, Naruto looked them over. The shirt seemed to be nothing but fabric that looked like metal plates attached to one another. It was short-sleeved, making it reach the middle of his biceps. Looking back in the box, Naruto saw gauntlets as well as a pair of shin guards, both made of the same fabric and pants. (MK Smoke Alternate)

"Huh…this looks cool but how was that supposed to help me?" Naruto asked as he looked at the masks again. Seein how one completely covered the face and the other was only a face mask like Kakashi, Naruto tried them on. Picking up the note, he looked at it and found if the second one Tayuya wrote, this one being on the properties of the clothes he had just got. "So…I just add chakra to it and then…" Naruto said as he slipped the gauntlets on. Looking at the, Naruto saw how the plates now started to pop out and separate, making it look like actual metal. Tapping it, Naruto nodded when he realized it was metal…that changed from fabric.

'Better take a shower before I try the rest on.' Naruto said as he took off the gauntlet, the metal turning back into fabric. Getting up and walking to the shower, missed the toad that came in and left a scroll on the box he opened.

-10 Minutes Later-

"Ah, now that's refreshing!" Naruto said as he stepped out of the shower and started to dry himself off. Once he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom in order to get his clothes and get dressed. Pulling on the shirt, and sending chakra in it to see if it also turned to metal, which it did, Naruto went out and started making a bowl of cereal for himself. When he was done with his breakfast, the blonde rechecked his supplies again, grateful for Jiraiya's help to find new quality tools and weapons and a small sealing scroll on his belt. Standard weapons pouches adorned his thighs, with one extra at his left hip.

'I think I'm ready.' Naruto said as he looked himself over. Smiling at his new appearance, Naruto stopped when he saw the scroll the toad had left earlier. 'How did I miss this?' Naruto thought as he picked up the scroll and opened it.

_Hey Gaki,_

_Nice clothes. Since you seemed to have better control now, I figured you might want something to help you in your fight against the Hyūga. I've written down a simple D-ranked jutsu for you to do and you should have enough control in order to pull off. It's called the "Body Flicker Technique". It shouldn't be so hard with your control as it is so try it out one the way to the finals; and be sure to put those smoke bombs we got good use._

Naruto unrolled the scroll more and saw that there was the jutsu that Jiraiya had written. Reading if over quickly and seeing it only needed one handsign, Naruto decided to take Jiraiya's advice try it out on his way to the stadium.

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Naruto landed with a smile as he appeared near the stadium entrance, the Body Flicker having worked pretty well despite the multiple screw ups. Walking up to the line, Naruto simply stood in line before he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Turning around, Naruto smiled under his mask when he saw Tayuya and Kin both standing there; Tayuya in the same gear as him, only with the face mask while Kin wore civilian clothes.

"Hey Naruto…" Kin said.

"You knew it was me?" Naruto asked while Tayuya only rolled her eyes before she walked up to Naruto.

"Baka…there are only three people who have that type of outfit." Tayuya said as she took off Naruto's hood and mask. Kin pretended to gag as Tayuya connected her lips with Naruto in line. The people who happen only let out 'aws' while some smiled at seeing the young couple.

"Naruto!?" a voice called out, making Naruto and Tayuya disconnect. Turning around, Naruto smiled a bit as he saw Sakura and the Kiba, Ino and Sakura walking up to them, looks of shock on their face.

"Oh, hey guys." Naruto said as he grabbed Tayuya's hand, Kin walking passed the two in order to move the line along.

"Dude…who's the hottie?" Kiba asked, before being smacked in the back of the head by Ino. "What?"

"Baka…" Ino said as she turned to back to Naruto. "…so who is she Naruto? I didn't even know you had a girlfriend."

"Actually, Tayuya-chan and I were together until last night." Naruto said, shocking the others once again.

"What!?" the three shouted.

"Yeah, we've been spending the entire month training…I guess last night was our first date." Naruto said while Tayuya only looked on.

"So how did you meet?" Ino asked with a raised eyebrow, wanting to know about the couple before her.

"None of your fucking business," Tayuya said suddenly, shocking Ino with her words, "who are you…his mother?"

"Well no but-"

"But nothing. I never saw you once hanging around Naruto since he was training with me. What gives you the right to ask about his personal life when you don't even know him?" Tayuya asked, taking a step towards Ino.

"Hey! I just wanted to know is all!" Ino said taking a step forward as well.

"Well to fucking bad." Tayuya said, "Naruto doesn't need to tell you jack shit; especially since you didn't even talk to him for a month." Tayuya finished before Naruto pulled her back gently.

"That's enough Tayuya-chan." Naruto said as he squeezed Tayuya hand. Turning around, they focused on gate in front of them; leaving a very angry Ino, a curious Sakura and surprised Kiba behind.

-With I.K.S-

"Who gives her the right to tell me off like that?" Ino asked, "All I wanted to know was how they met."

"Maybe because she was right." Sakura said, surprising Ino, "None of us never even saw Naruto for the past month. I know Sasuke-kun couldn't because he was training with Kakashi-sensei."

"Then how were supposed to talk to him if we didn't even know where he was?" Ino said, glaring at the back of Tayuya's head.

"*whistle* Got to admit though, Naruto can get himself a girl." Kiba said before he was smacked in the back of the head by Sakura and Ino.

-With N.T.K-

"Welcome to the Chūnin Exam Finals." A guard said as the three walked up. Naruto smiled as he produced his I.D along with Tayuya and Kin. "Oh Uzumaki," the guard said handing back Naruto's ID, "You need to go through that gate over there. It's for the competitors." Look at the gate to the north with another set of guards, Naruto nodded. Giving a kiss to Tayuya and wave to Kin, Naruto jogged to his new destination.

"Excuse me," Tayuya said, making the guards turn to her, "where can I find the office to place a bet?" One of the guards leaned in and pointed out the directions.

"Just go down this hall and take the first left. They should still be accepting bets." Tayuya nodded at that as she and Kin walked on.

"I'll go and find us a seat." Kin said, peeling on from Tayuya.

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'I wonder what the place looks like…' Naruto thought as he walked through the opened gates, showing his ID once again and removing his mask to the second pair of guards. When Naruto walked out of the tunnel that led to the competitor's box, he was amazed at all the people that were filling up the stands.

"This place it huge…" Naruto said as he looked to study the arena where he would be fighting. It was a flat plain encircled by the high concrete wall at least four meters tall. With the exception of a few trees in the area, there was virtually no place to hide during combat, meaning his ability to sneak would be pretty much useless.

"Hi, Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted, seeing one of his classmates leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. The boy only lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at the blonde coming towards him.

"Naruto?" The boy asked in surprise as he pushed off the wall. "That you?"

"Sure is." Naruto said, "What do you think?" Naruto said as he turned around to let Shikamaru get a look at him.

"Well, you look more like a shinobi," Shikamaru said as he looked over Naruto, "I just hope you're not as troublesome as you were before."

"Don't worry," Naruto said, "I trained a lot in the past month. I'll knock that teme Neji down a peg or two for Hinata." Shikamaru only sighed as he looked around. "Speaking of teme's…did Sasuke get here?" Naruto asked before he got negative from Shikamaru. "The fights are about to start. I hope he isn't late, this is really important to him."

"Will all the contestants please come down to the main arena?" a voice boomed out making the eight competitors turn attention to the arena were a man stood. After a second, all of them started walking towards the arena in a single file line.

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As the eight walked to the center of the arena, they saw man waiting for them. Stopping in front of him, they waited as he chewed on what they saw was a senbon.

"Alright, let's get this over with. My name is Gemna, and I'll be your proctor for the finals. The same rules apply as they did the preliminaries: First to be unable to fight loses, you are to stop when I say stop and killing is not allowed." Genma said as he pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. "These will be the matches you are fighting."

"What happened to that Dosu guy?" Shikamaru asked, "I was supposed to fight him wasn't I?"

"Complications came up we had to remove him from the roster." Genma said as he rolled the scroll up. "If there are no more questions then I want all of you except Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga to return to the competitor's box." Naruto watched as six of the competitors left the arena. Looking at Neji, Naruto frowned as the boy crossed his arms.

"If you want to surrender, I suggest you do it now." Neji said. Naruto only grunted as he walked up to Genma while Neji following.

"Alright you two, make this a decent fight." Genma said, "Follow the rules and listen to my commands. Are you two ready?"

"Byakugan!" Neji said as he unfolded his arms. Naruto only fell into his stance with a nod while Genma raised his arms.

"Begin!" At that the two Genin jumped away from one another, immediately throwing shuriken in an attempt to wound each other. As the two both landed, Naruto pulled out a kunai to deflect all the shuriken sent his way before he saw Neji doing the same as he landed.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he disappeared in cloud of smoke. As it dissipated, Naruto stood where he was along with four other clones of himself. "Let's get him." Naruto said as the five of them rushed forward. Neji simply threw some kunai in an attempt to dispel the clones, but watched as they deflected the projectiles with a kunai.

As the five closed in, Neji waited where he was as he saw the five break apart and circle around him. Turning to his left, Neji started to jab the air as a clone jumped at him. As the clone dispelled, it managed to land a cut on Neji's arm, making him wince at the pain. Ignoring the pain for now, Neji turned around again as another clone leaped at him, this one getting dispelled instantly.

"Give up! With my Byakugan active, you have no chance of surprising me." Neji said as he sent rapid jab towards the last two clones, dispelling them. Jumping back, Neji pulled out a kunai to deflect the shuriken that erupted from the smoke.

"Too bad I'm really trying to surprise you." Naruto said as he appeared behind Neji in a puff of smoke and punched him in the gut. Throwing a smoke ball down, Naruto flickered away in time as Neji recovered.

'He's fast!' Neji analyzed, 'His speed is that of a Jōnin.'

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"Go Naruto!" Kin shouted when she saw Naruto flicker away from Neji. "Geeze Tayuya, I think you trained him too well."

"What did you expect? I don't half ass my work." Tayuya replied as she looked at the ticket she held. The price on it revealing to have a five thousand Yen stamped on the top. "Naruto's going to win no matter what."

-With I.S.K.H-

"Wow! Did you see that Sakura? Naruto's gotten really good!" Ino said in surprise as she watched the fight. Sakura nodded, also in shock at Naruto's increase in skill within the past month.

"Gotta admit. Naruto's girlfriend is one hell of a teacher." Kiba said with a smile before he looked at Hinata and saw her crestfallen face. "Shit…I mean-"

"It's okay Kiba…I know what you mean." Hinata said with a small smile, her eyes never leaving the fight. Kiba frowned a bit as his eyes returned to the fight, knowing he screwed up.

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'No one should have this kind of speed!' Neji thought in surprise as tried to jab at Naruto, only for the blonde to use a smoke bomb and shift his position behind the Hyūga. 'What the hell is he?'

"Gotcha!" Naruto shouted as he swung his arm back and forth in a chopping motion, catching Neji off guard long enough for him to not be able to dodge the spinning kick Naruto landed. Naruto grabbed another smoke bomb before he stopped and waited for Neji to get up. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto said when he saw that Neji deactivated the Byakugan.

Neji tensed a bit waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, he was surprised to see only one Naruto standing in front of him. Activating his eyes, Neji frantically searched around for the other clone while the one standing right in front of him pulled out a smoke bomb and casually tossed it into the air.

"Looking for something?" Naruto asked, catching Neji's attention. "A shinobi's best tool is deception…I'm just taking advantage of that." Neji growled as continued to look around for the extra clone(s). Naruto only smiled as he pretended to throw something at Neji, making the Hyūga roll out of the way. Naruto smiled as Neji fell for his fake out, throwing the smoke bomb that was in his hands.

"What!?" Neji shouted as the smoke bomb enveloped him. A little disoriented, Neji didn't even blink before he found himself falling in front above Naruto. Naruto smiled as he jumped and grabbed Neji before he threw him to ground, using gravity to so his work.

"How did you-" Neji started before Naruto created another clone. Neji watched as the clone simply transformed into a smoke bomb that Naruto started tossing in his hand. Getting the picture, Neji slowly stood up and settled in his clan's style. Naruto only shook his head as he dispelled the clone in his hand. "No matter what you do…fate deems it right that I win."

"Why is it that Fate is the only thing that can decide what happens?" Naruto asked, "What gave it the right to decide what's going to happen?"

"Tch…you would know nothing of it." Neji said as he regained some energy. "Someone like you, someone who wishes to go against fate never wins. Nothing can change fate."

"Then how come I'm standing right here in front of you?" Naruto said, "If fate decides who wins a fight and decided that you fight me then that means fate decided you have no skill." Naruto said as Neji narrowed his eyes. "I was and still am a nobody to pretty much everyone in the village, shinobi and civilian alike. The fact that you're fighting against a total nobody shows that fate doesn't choose favorites."

"No matter what you say won't deter me." Neji said, "Fate decides a battle and the winner…no one is above it."

"Then that means you have nothing going for you." Naruto said, "going up against a nobody like me…what power or skill does that prove? You beat someone below you…so what? That doesn't mean you're better, that just means I have more training to catch up on." Naruto said while Neji only shook his head.

"Like I said, you wouldn't understand it."

"Maybe I don't…but I do understand when you're using a flawed logic to justify your life." Naruto said as he pulled out three more smoke bombs and held them in between his fingers. Neji activated his Byakugan as he saw Naruto pull out those three smoke bombs and grew tensed.

Naruto only stared at Neji before he ran forward, his hand getting ready to crush of balls in his hand. Just as he got to Neji, Naruto held up his arm and activated the seals in his gauntlets. Seeing Naruto run straight towards him, Neji move as quickly as he could, raising his arm in order to jab Naruto's arm.

"What?" Neji asked when his fingertips felt nothing but metal. Naruto managed to land a punch on the Hyūga as one of the smoke bombs exploded. Doing what he had done the whole fight, Naruto Body Flickered around Neji and threw another smoke bomb as he appeared behind him and punched him in the kidney before he flickered away once again. Cracking the last bomb in his hand, Naruto appeared above Neji, swinging his legs to land a round house on the Hyūga's face.

Neji fell on his back in pain and surprise as he opened up his eyes. Looking around, he found that his body was having a hard time responding to his actions. Hearing a something land near him, Neji looked to his left to see Naruto walking up to him.

"How are you so fast?" Neji asked through his gritted teeth.

"Ever heard of the Body Flicker Technique?" Naruto said surprising both Genma and Neji.

"That's a Jōnin level Jutsu." Neji said as looked at Naruto. Said blonde only shrugged as he looked around the stadium.

"Really? Because I read that it was a D-rank Jutsu. I figured anyone can do it, especially since I could…even though my chakra control grew over the past month." Naruto said, "You said fate deemed you the winner…but here I am, still standing. What does that tell you Neji…how wrong do you think you've been?" Neji only gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as Genma raised his hand.

"The winner of this match: Is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto only smiled as the crowd, many who heard his little speech, started to cheer.

* * *

><p>AN: There goes Naruto's match. Fighting scenes aren't really my forte but at least I tried. Next up: Invasion Time.

P.S. If you haven't noticed, I made Naruto use Smoke's ability or something close to it the entire fight. Not necessarily a crossover but still, I should at least mention that.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Tayuya's on a mission…will she complete it or fail. Also this may seem rushed…that was how I intended it to be.

* * *

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"WOOHOO! GO NARUTO!" Kin shouted as the rest of the crowd cheered around her.

"That's my Naruto-kun!" Tayuya said with a smile as she stood up and hugged Kin. The two jumped in place a bit as the rest of the crowd continued to shout out congratulations to Naruto, who couldn't hear them. "Hold on Kin, I have to cash in this ticket." Tayuya said when the two stopped bouncing. Walking away, Tayuya's smile grew larger with her knowledge that the odds Naruto had of winning 98 out of 100.

'A nice little fortune for us.' Tayuya thought as she walked up to the desk where she saw the kind old woman from the shop and an old man with a young woman. 'What the hell? Did they also bet on Naruto?' Tayuya thought as she watched the old woman hand her ticket in. Deflating a bit at seeing the Yen being handed back, Tayuya hung her head as she walked up to the register.

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"Nice work." Shikamaru said as Naruto walked up to him. "When did you learn the Body Flicker Technique? I heard it was a Jōnin level Jutsu."

"Oh that? I learned it on the way here!" Naruto said with a smile, shocking Shikamaru, "Pervy Sage said it was a D-ranked Jutsu and left me instructions on how to do it. I just practiced it wince I had better control than I used to." Shikamaru only gawked at Naruto as his mind processed the words he had been told.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru said, shaking his head, "only someone like you could do the impossible and learn a Jutsu like that so quickly."

"Hm? It's not that hard." Naruto said as he made one hand-sign, "All you have do is one hand-sign and the think of where you want to go before you send chakra out." Naruto said as he disappeared and reappeared a few feet away in a puff of smoke. "See?"

"**Due to Sasuke Uchiha not being here for his match, he will be moved to the end of the first round. Should he not show by then, he'll be disqualified."** A voice boomed out making everyone turn to see the Hokage moving back to his seat.

"Like I said, troublesome," Shikamaru said as he shook his head again. Reaching down and picking something up, Shikamaru only let out a sigh, "In any case, we should pay attention to the next match." Shikamaru said as he pushed off the wall and walked back towards the railing with Naruto right behind him.

"May Shino Aburame and Kankurō of the Sand please report to the ring?" Genma shouted out as the crowd started to fill the stadium once more.

"Proctor! I would like to forfeit my match!" Kankurō shouted as he leaned over the railing of the competitor's box. Genma only 'tsked' as he spoke up once more.

"It seems that Kankurō of the Sand had forfeited his match. The winner by default is Shino Aburame." Gemna said outloud before the entire stadium started to 'Boo' in protest.

"That's strange," Shikamaru said, catching Naruto's attention.

"What?"

"Why would someone like Kankurō, who's clearly more skilled than us, just forfeit his match?" Shikamaru asked while Naruto started to think.

"You're right, that is strange." Naruto said as he discreetly looked over to Kankurō, who was talking to Temari.

"Will Temari of the Sand and Shikamaru Nara please report to the arena at once?" Genma asked. Shikamaru only sighed as he stood up straighter and started heading for the stadium.

"Go get 'em Shikamaru!" Naruto said as the boy waved back.

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"There you are Tayuya." Kin said as Tayuya sat back in her seat, "It seems Kankurō's going through with the plan." Kin said quietly as she looked on. Tayuya only nodded as she took a discrete look around to see if there were a sign for her to begin her mission.

"Let's just hope it fails." Tayuya said, seeing nothing that would let her know to move.

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"Are the two of ready?" Gemna asked as he looked at the two. Getting a nod, he simply nodded as well, "Begin!" Jumping away, everyone grew confused as Shikamaru stood where he was. Temari held onto her fan as she watched Shikamaru take something out of his pocket and started to toss it in the air.

"Look as much as I would like to fight, I prefer to sleep. So let's get this over with…catch." Shikamaru said as he tossed what was in his hand to Temari. Upon catching it, Temari was engulfed in smoke while Shikamaru quickly did his family jutsu and waited. As the smoke cleared, Shikamaru only smiled at seeing Temari caught on the other side of his jutsu. "I think it's safe to say that we both forfeit." Shikamaru said as he raised his hand, Temari copying his actions.

"Do you agree with this?" Genma asked as he landed.

"No!" Temari said in disagreement before she turned her eyes in to glare at Shikamaru.

"If that's the case…" Shikamaru said as he turned his body and threw out his fist with all his might. Temari grew confused as to what he did this…until she felt her fist hit Genma's stomach. "…doesn't that make her disqualified for attacking you proctor?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, it does." Genma said as he took a deep breath. "For attacking the proctor of the finals, Temari of the Sand is disqualified."

"What?! You can't be serious! You saw him use that Jutsu on me!" Temari shouted, pointing to Shikamaru.

"What Jutsu?" Genma asked, looking down, "Seems to me that you did all on your own." Temari only looked on in shock that Shikamaru had already left the arena. "Get out of here." Genma said, watching as Temari stormed off.

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"Well that was anticlimactic…" Kin said as she turned to Tayuya, "Where are you going?" Tayuya stopped at that and only sighed.

"Something's come up. Look after this for me will you?" Tayuya said as she handed the small box, containing her winnings, to Kin. Kin only nodded slowly as she turned her attention back to the arena, knowing full well what the redhead was leaving for.

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"Well that was anticlimactic…" Naruto said as he turned to Shikamaru, "Didn't think you would end it that fast."

"Well it was either that or wasting a lot of time and energy fighting." Shikamaru said as he walked over to his wall and resumed his sleeping. Naruto only nodded as he turned his attention back to the arena, wondering is Sasuke would show.

"We'll be giving Sasuke Uchiha five minutes to appear before he is disqualified." Genma shouted out as he turned to leave. Naruto only nodded as he turned around and sat against the wall Shikamaru was using.

'I wonder what Tayuya-chan is doing right now?' Naruto thought as he reached into his back pouch and counted the amount of smoke bombs he had left. He had no doubt that his tactics he used against Neji wouldn't work on everyone else, but it was better than nothing. If all else fails…at least he had clones to fall back on.

-Four and a Half Minutes Later-

"Well Sasuke's a no show…too bad. This was important to him too." Naruto said to himself as he got up. While he and the Uchiha didn't see eye to eye, that didn't mean Naruto wanted Sasuke to lose. "Ah well…at least he made it to the finals." Naruto said as he walked up to the railing and counted down from twenty.

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'Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…well, times up.' Genma thought as he started walking towards the middle of the arena. Taking a deep breath, Genma barely got to open his mouth before smoke burst right next to him.

"Are we late?" a voice asked making Genma roll his eyes.

"Actually, we were about to announce you and your student's forfeit." Genma said, "Any longer and you wouldn't be allowed to fight."

"Well then…at least we showed up right?" the voice asked as the smoke dissipated to reveal Kakashi and Sasuke standing near Genma.

"Just make sure that it doesn't happen again." Genma said as he took a step back.

"I'll keep that in mind." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"It's not a suggestion…it's an order from the Hokage himself." Genma countered, smiling at Kakashi's stiffness. "The next match between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Sand will commence." Genma shouted, making many people rush back to their seats. "I need you leave Hatake…no hand holding in the finals."

"Alright then…" Kakashi said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

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"Where the hell have you been?" someone asked when he saw Tayuya appear, "And what's with the getup?"

"Zip it birdbrain." Tayuya spat out as she walked forward. "Did you get confirmation to move in?"

"Some sounds a little light on the cursing." 'Birdbrain' said, "No, Orochimaru-sama is waiting for the perfect time before the invasion begins." Tayuya only nodded at that, she had a mission to complete and nothing would stand in her way to complete it.

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'Now's a better time I use it!' Sasuke thought as he ran up the wall of the arena. Gathering his breath, Sasuke did three hand-signs before he leveled his hand to the wall. As he released his breath, Sasuke's hand started to crackle before it burst into lightning. Moving as quickly as he could, Sasuke made a mad dash towards Gaara's ball of sand.

"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted as he evaded the sand spikes that burst from the ball of sand. Thrusting his fist forward, Sasuke smiled when his attack managed to pierce Gaara's sand. That small victory was shortly lived as Gaara started shouted, the ball of sand coming undone.

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Kin watched as feathers started to fall all over the arena. Smiling, she placed her hands together and released the Genjutsu that was being placed.

"I better get to Naruto." Kin said, doing her part in the plan. Getting up and sealing the box away, Kin made a run for the competitor's box.

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"Release." Naruto said as he dispelled the Genjutsu that he felt washing over him. Looking around, he saw that Shino and Shikamaru had fallen to the Genjutsu.

"Naruto!" Kin shouted as she landed in the box. Naruto looked at in surprise as she ran up to him and looked around. "Did you dispel the Genjutsu?"

"Yeah. Kin what's happening?" Naruto asked, seeing the civilians start to fall asleep. "Why's there a Genjutsu being used."

"It's Oto!" Kin said, "They planned an invasion and used the Chūnin Exams as a way to get in Konoha. I think their starting their invasion right now!"

"Where's Tayuya-chan!?" Naruto said as he ran over to the railing.

"Don't worry about her, she went off to help the Hokage." Kin said, "We have to go after Gaara! Oto's planning to use him to destroy most of the village."

"What about my friends?" Naruto asked as Kin grabbed his arm. Sighed a bit before she walked over to Shino and used released the genjutsu on him. Seeing him stir a bit, Kin nodded to herself as she returned to Naruto/

"There, he should atleast wake everyone else up. Listen if we don't stop Gaara then it won't matter." Kin said before Naruto nodded. "I saw the three from sand heading off to the forest with the Uchiha following them."

"Sasuke's awake?" Naruto asked in surprise. Getting a nod from Kin, Naruto turned around before the two headed off to help Sasuke, Shino right behind them. If they stayed a bit longer, they would've been found by Asuma, who proceeded to wake Shikamaru and question where Naruto and Shino went.

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"You're not getting away from me that easily!" Sasuke shouted at the sand trio who were currently running from him.

"Temari, get Gaara out of here. I'll handle the little punk." Kankurō said as the three landed. Temari only nodded before she took off with Gaara. "And where do you think you're going?" Kankurō asked as Sasuke landed.

"Out of my way." Sasuke said as he activated his Sharingan.

"Not a chance…you want to go that way? You'll have to kill me first."

"That can be arranged." A voice said as bug started to appear behind Sasuke. Turing around, Sasuke was surprised to see Shino, Naruto and another girl bursting through the bushes.

"What the hell are you doing here dope? Who's the girl?" Sasuke said while Naruto only glared at Kankurō.

"Shino…think you can fight him?" Naruto asked walked forward.

"Seeing as he still owes me a match, I can manage." Shino said as Naruto nodded. Grabbing Sasuke's hand, Naruto and Kin both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

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"Sarutobi-sensei…how nice it is to see you again." Orochimaru with a smile.

"Not long enough…" the Hokage said as he pulled off his robes to reveal his old armor from the war. "…today it ends."

"I agree," Orochimaru said, "and to make sure no one interferes…" Snapping his hands, Orochimaru watched as his four bodyguards appeared in four corners. Making a series of hand-signs, the four created a barrier around the rooftop the two stood on. "This should also spice things up a bit." Orochimaru said as he snapped his fingers once again, this time a puff of smoke appeared over the horizon to reveal a Hydra, destroying the walls around the village.

"You never changed Orochimaru." The Hokage said while said man only cackled. In one of the corners, Tayuya started counting in her mind, waiting for her time to attack.

"Now allow me to introduce someone special." Orochimaru said, making Tayuya's eyes widen as he did some hand-signs and summoned a two coffins…one which was stopped by the Hokage.

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"What was that?" Naruto said as he and Sasuke stopped, Kin having broken off to fight and stall Temari.

"I don't know…let's just hurry up and get Gaara." Sasuke said before Naruto nodded and both continued to follow the sand trail that was being left on the tree branches. "There! I see him!" Sasuke shouted as Naruto threw his attention towards the ground. There stood Gaara, the sand around him starting to form around him as he clutched his head in pain.

"Sasuke Uchiha…I will kill you…and prove my existence." Gaara said slowly as he looked up at the two Genin; the sand that was forming around him having finished; leaving Gaara with an out worldly appearance. The sand that had been piling on the redhead had transformed half his body into another creature. "Time to die Uchiha!" Gaara shouted as he left towards Naruto and Sasuke.

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"You are a monster Orochimaru…doing something as sinister as this is even below your standards." The Hokage shouted as he jumped away from his old teacher, the Nidaime Hokage.

"Perhaps…" Orochimaru said as he joined in the fight. "…but if it means your death; anything is acceptable to kill you."

"But it seems you didn't prepare for everything!" the Hokage said as he finished his last hand-sign. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" the Hokage said as a wall appeared from the roof and blocked the water attacks of the Nidaime got closer. In her corner, Tayuya flinched a bit as she continued to count towards her goal.

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"You can't run away Uchiha!" Gaara shouted as his arm shot out one again in an attempt to grab Sasuke's leg. Sasuke was lucky enough to move out of the way and send out some fire balls to slow the arm as Naruto tried his best to get his leg unstuck from the sand that Gaara had sent out.

"Naruto, can you hurry up?!" Sasuke shouted as he jumped away from a tree.

"What do think I'm doing teme!?" Naruto shouted in retaliation.

"Well think of something! I can't keep runni-" Sasuke shouted before he was cut off by Gaara's arm.

"Now I've got you!" Gaara shouted out as he pushed his arm out even more and slammed Sasuke into a tree. Not stopping, Gaara retracted his arm before he sent it into another tree, Sasuke still in its grasp.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he tried to pull out his leg from the sand. "Leave him alone!" Gaara simply ignored Naruto's shouts as he continued to thrash his arm around the forest, smashing into trees. Naruto watched on as more and more anger started to build up inside of him, awakening the darkness he had sealed within him.

Gaara stopped his actions as he felt a malice presence nearby before he looked down and saw red chakra surrounding Naruto. Smiling sinisterly, Gaara tossed Sasuke aside as he set his eyes on Naruto.

"Yes…mother is pleased!" Gaara shouted as Naruto continued to release more chakra into the air, making Gaara more vicious.

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"How does it feel sensei?" Orochimaru said out loud as he watched the Hokage recover from an attack by the Nidiaime. "You two have much to catch up on. What better time than now?"

"Six-hundred!" Tayuya said, having counted the seconds until ten minutes passed. Activating her curse seal, which she knew was going to be sealed, Tayuya stopped adding chakra into her side of the barrier and made a mad dash towards the Hokages that were fighting. Seeing the Nidaime kick away the current Hokage, Tayuya managed to sneak up behind him and land a punch to the back of his head.

"Hm? So it seems you also want to fight." Orochimaru said, seeing Tayuya help the Hokage up to his feet, "Very well…I'll be happy enough to kill you!"

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"Yes! Show mother your power!" Gaara shouted as Naruto released more of the malice chakra into the air. As more chakra was being released, Naruto's features began to become more feral…changing like it had in wave. "YES! YOU WILL PROVE MY EXISTANCE!"

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><p>AN: Alright…that seems like a good stopping point. Next time: The Invasion Part 2.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: The Invasion Part 2. Disappointment be ready.

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Gaara only smiled as he looked down at Naruto's lightly transformed state. While not much of a change, he took note of how feral looking Naruto was and the anger that was in the blonde's eyes. Without saying anything, the two leapt at one another with their arms pulled back for a punch. Naruto was quick enough to move out of the way of Gaara arm before he threw out his own arm and nailed the redhead straight in the face.

"Yes Uzumaki! Show me your strength!" Gaara shouted as he sent out his arm once more. Naruto ducked under the appendage and swiped at Gaara's face, managing to scratch the redhead's face before he was flung back by Gaara's Tail.

"I'll destroy you!" Naruto shouted as he started dashing towards Gaara once more. The redhead only held up his deformed arm as he sent out his tail to deal with Naruto. Naruto growled as the tail knocked him away, barely missing Sasuke who was still unconscious on the branches. "You'll pay for that!" Naruto shouted as he released more malevolent chakra out, getting ready to dash towards Gaara.

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Tayuya grunted as she blocked the kick Orochimaru had delivered to her side. As she landed, the redhead jumped to the left and pulled out a kunai in time to bare redirect the Nidaime's own kunai. The redhead was surprised that she was able to at least hold her own against someone like Orochimaru and the Nidaime Hokage, even if she had help to do so.

"Duck!" The Sandaime shouted as Tayuya fell to the floor. As she did, a dragon made of mud shot right past her and collided with the Nidaime, sending the reanimated Hokage into the roof. Orochimaru growled a bit as he rushed forwards towards the Hokage at full speed, intending to inflict serious pain.

"Behind you!" Tayuya shouted as she hopped over the Hokage's back and kicked Orochimaru away, kneeling down to catch her breath immediately after. The pale man once again growled as he glared at Tayuya, her curse seal already running low from its usage. Dashing forward, Orochimaru jumped into the air as he threw up a sword, intending to impale the redhead that kneeled before him. Just as he was about to impale her though, he heard the Sandaime shout something that he knew all too well.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

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"Get back HERE!" Naruto shouted as he dashed through the trees. Having acquired one tail of power, Naruto was on even standards with Gaara, having been able to out maneuver and destroy his sand. With the favor of the battle turning towards the blonde, Gaara took off running, using Temari as a shield as Naruto tried to impale him. Naruto managed to move his attack, only scraping Temari's arm as she braced herself for death. "Gaara! Finish what you started!" Naruto shouted as he traveled higher into the trees, running on the treetops as he searched around for the redhead.

"Wind Style: Sand Storm Devastation!" Gaara shouted as he blew out a wall of sand and wind. Naruto barely managed to turn around before he was blasted away from Gaara, the sand managing to create multiple cuts on his arms and face. Gaara laughed maniacally as he watched Naruto fall into the trees, thinking that he managed to kill the blonde.

"ASSHOLE!" Naruto shouted as he burst from the trees, the cloak around him getting thicker, the tail swaying around more aggressively as Naruto glared at Gaara with all his might. "THAT FUCKING HURT!" Naruto shouted as he let out a roar, the force of which managed to destroy the trees in front of him. "LET ME RETURN THE FAVOR!" Naruto shouted before he began to take a large breath of air. Getting on his feet, Naruto fell forward and spat out the air he was holding.

"HOW CAN HE BE THIS STRONG!?" Gaara shouted out as the shockwave that was sent towards him destroyed everything that was in its path, managing to force Gaara off his feet. From the sidelines, Sasuke looked on in amazement, shock and fear as he watched Naruto take on Gaara.

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Tayuya and the Hokage both stopped for a moment when they saw the abundance of tree that were sent flying across the horizon. Their battle with Orochimaru and the Nidaime was more or less at a standstill, the three exhausting their strengths while the Nidaime spent time trying to repair himself. Tayuya grew a little worried about their time, the chakra she had sent to reinforce the barrier was starting to wave off, giving them less time to fight. Orochimaru didn't seem bothered in the slightest and seemed to even stall the time the four fought.

"Tayuya," The Sandaime said as his summoned ape appeared next to him, "It appears we must end this fight."

"How?" Tayuya gasped out as she tried to regain her breath, "Orochimaru is still above my league and the Nidaime will just regenerate from our attacks!"

"Simple," the Sandaime said, "I must use a forbidden technique. One that can hopefully end Orochimaru as well." Tayuya snapped her head at the Sandaime, not believing that a technique existed. "Although, the price would be a heavy one to pay."

"What do you need?" Tayuya asked, wanting to help out.

"I need you and Enma to create a distraction, give me two minutes to start the jutsu." The Sandaime said as he started to gather chakra. Tayuya nodded before she got up and stood in front of the Sandaime, Enma giving her a smile before he looked forward. Tayuya straightened her face as Orochimaru and the Nidaime appeared.

"I think it's time to end this little party." Orochimaru said as he readied his sword. Enma and Tayuya both got into stances while the Sadaime looked up.

"I agree…" At that, the two before him rushed forward, giving their all to create the two minutes the Sandaime needed.

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Gaara looked on in fear as he fell off the tree branch he had landed on before he was destroyed by Naruto. During the fight, Sasuke had activated his Cursed Mark and tried to get a sneak attack on Gaara while he was busy evading Naruto. The plan backfired when Gaara sensed Sasuke and grabbed him before he tossed him at Naruto, who was sending out another shockwave. Not having time to stop the attack, Naruto watched as Sasuke was flung back and into a tree while Gaara jumped away.

The redhead didn't know what transpired between the two, but he knew that as soon as he got 25 feet away, another violent burst of chakra was sent throughout the forest. As the chakra started to die down, Naruto shouted Gaara's name before he came barreling throught the forest, his cloak now having two tails swishing behind him. Looking at the blonde, Gaara couldn't describe the feeling he felt wash over him as the two stared at one another.

'How can someone like him gain so much power? Where does it all come from?' Gaara thought as he looked at Naruto's blood red eyes. Naruto only let out low growls as he continued to stare at Gaara. Getting lower to the tree, Naruto disappeared in an instant only to reappear behind Gaara, surprising him with his speed. Pulling back his arm, Naruto wasted no time sending it out to knock Gaara into one of the trees, snapping the branches off.

"H-how?" Gaara asked as he got up from the branches, the sand that had been covering him coming off in chunks. He didn't bother trying to get into his complete form since Naruto always managed to knock Gaara out of the process in his initial state. Getting up, Gaara only let out his breath before he found himself flying away from Naruto, who rush at him again and landed another punch on him. Crashing into another tree and getting another chunk of sand knocked off, Gaara only scowled as he weakly stood up.

'Only one more Jutsu to use…' Gaara thought as looked at the very feral Naruto that was walking towards him. 'W-what is he?' Gaara thought as Naruto roared into the air, the shockwave pushing some trees away and making Gaara cover his ears.

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The fighting temporary stopped as everyone turned to the trees that parted from what seemed like a shockwave. Soon after, everyone added chakra to their feet to keep their places as the shockwave reached them and started to tear off almost everything that wasn't bolted down.

"What is that?" Orochimaru asked, conveying what everyone thought except the Sandaime, who knew just who it was. Taking the time that the four were distracted, the Sandaime gathered the last of his chakra before he went through the hand-signs he needed.

"I'm ready! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The Sandaime shouted out, catching everyone's attention. Orochimaru was still a little confused as the Sandaime landed in front of him and the clone landed in front of the Nidaime. "Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!" Upon hearing those words, Orochimaru started to struggle against the Sandaime's grip. However, he was stopped by Enma, who caught him in a bear hug. The Nidaime seemed to accept his fate and waited as the Death god appeared above the Sandaime and extended his hand.

"No I will not be taken by that cursed Jutsu!" Orchimaru shouted as he struggled against Enma's grip. The pale man smiled as the barrier came down, knowing his bodyguards would help him; which they did, with one of them hitting Enma in the back while another grabbed Orochimaru's sword and cut the man's arm off freeing him and his soul, with the expection of his arms. Tayuya could only look in shock as he Snake Sennin cackled and ran away, her former teammated following him and throwing off any ANBU that came near. Running over the Sandaime, Tayuya slid to her knees as she caught the dying man.

"Tell Naruto…I'm sorry…for everything…" the Sandaime said with a smile as his eyes closed and his breathing stopped. Tayuya simply held onto him as multiple ANBU, Jōnin and Jiraiya appeared. Looking up upon feeling Jiraiya tap her shoulder, Tayuya only saw him look at the forest.

"You should go to him." Tayuya only nodded as she got up and made a mad dash towards Naruto and Gaara's fight.

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Gaara took deep breaths as he landed away from Naruto, the blonde having landed a few trees away. He was too spent to run away and Naruto seemd keen on hunting him and beating him around when he caught up. Facing the blonde, Gaara didn't bother hiding this anger and his fear as Naruto looked at him with the same blood red eyes he had during the entire fight.

"Why are you running Gaara? Didn't you want to prove your existence?" Naruto mocked as he stood up on his back legs. "Didn't you want a strong opponent to kill!?" Naruto said while Gaara looked at him. "Let's finish this…once and for all." Naruto said as he got back on all fours and crouched low to the branch he was on. The two stared at one another as the rain started to fall over the area…making Gaara's eyes widen before he saw lightning flash in the sky. When the thunder clap was heard, the two jumped at one another.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Gaara shouted as he extended the last of his deformed arm, hardening it as best as he could while Naruto did the same with his arm. Naruto growled a bit but stopped when Gaara's arm connected…severing the blonde's right arm from his shoulder. Gaara smiled in victory before his eyes widened at seeing Naruto grab the severed limb and use it to impale the redhead in his heart.

"Now who's kill who!?" Naruto shouted as he collided with Gaara…the two of them falling back to earth. Naruto only closed his eyes as he fell…hearing Gaara ask how he could have been kill and Tayuya and Sasuke both shouting out his name.

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Naruto woke up with a start before he started looking around. Seeing the familiar white rooms of the hospital, Naruto calmed his breathing as the monitors that were connected to him suddenly went off. Jumping at the sounds, Naruto looked towards the door as the sound of multiple footsteps was heard. Without hesitance, the door burst open as a doctor and three nurses rushed in, the last nurse pushing in a large pushcart full of medicine.

"U-uzumaki?" the doctor asked in shock as Naruto looked at them with equal value. Naruto hesitantly nodded as the nurses went to work looking over everything that was connected to Naruto.

"W-what happened?" Naruto asked as he looked at the nurses who continued their work of checking out everything on and around Naruto. The doctor only sighed before she walked up and took a seat next to Naruto.

"This may come as a shock to you but…" the doctor started before they quickly grew uncomfortable, "…you've been a coma…for the past month." The doctor said, making all the nurses stop their work and look at Naruto.

"What?" Naruto asked, wondering if he heard the doctor right. "A-a month?" Getting a nod, Naruto looked around for something to verify the woman's claim. The doctor simply placed the most recent newspaper on Naruto's lap and let him see that she wasn't lying. Reading over the heading, which was a report on the work from the invasion, Naruto looked at the doctor in shock. "What…" Naruto started before he stopped, "…what happened to everyone else? To my friends and teammates? To Kin and Tayuya-chan?" Naruto asked, afraid of the answers he would hear.

"All the genin from the exams are fine and have resumed work. Most shinobi have been working overtime to repair the village. As for the two girls…the redhead still visits you every day…I guess she was right about you waking up eventually. As for the other one…I'm not to sure." The doctor said.

"What about-"

"The Hokage?" another feminine voice asked, making everyone turn their attention to the door to see a rather busty blonde standing in the doorway.

"Lady Tsunade." The doctor said, getting up and moving away from Naruto.

"W-who are you?" Naruto asked, not taking his eyes off the woman that stood in the doorway; that is, until she moved aside, revealing Tayuya with a bundle of flowers in her hands. Without saying anything, Tayuya dropped the flowers that were in her hand and ran up to Naruto before she hugged him, tearing streaming out of her eyes.

"Some girl you got there Gaki." Tsunade said as she walked up with the flowers Tayuya dropped; a smile on her face before raised her hand, covering it in green chakra. Moving it over Naruto's body, not covered by Tayuya, Tsunade nodded to herself before she started to leave the room. "Who are you?" Naruto asked again.

"I'll have Neko escort you to my office…I'll explain everything there." Tsunade said as she left the doorway, followed by the doctor and the nurses.

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Naruto looked around as he was helped into the office by his ANBU escort and Tayuya. While it wasn't much of a change since he had last seen the office, Naruto took note of some furniture that wasn't in the room last time.

"Good, you've arrived." A voice said making Naruto look at the desk in front of him to see Tsunade sitting at it with her chin resting on her fingers. "If you would take a seat, I just need to finish up these last papers." Naruto only nodded as Tayuya helped him sit down, his ANBU escort standing right behind him and Tayuya.

'Who is this woman? Where's Jiji?'Naruto thought as he watched Tsunade work, hearing nothing aside from the scratching of pen on papers and stamps. After about five minutes, the busty blonde stood up and stretched before she walked over and took a seat across from Naruto and Tayuya.

"Now…I bet you're wondering what's been going on for the past month you've been out." Tsunade asked, making Naruto nod his head in agreement. "Where do I start…?"

"W-where's Jiji? Last time I checked…this was his office." Naruto said, taking note of Tsunade's face falling.

"Last time you checked…sensei was still alive." Tsunade said, shocking Naruto. "During his fight with Orochimaru…in case you were wondering. I'm one of his students…Tsunade; Lady Tsunade to most and Godaime to the civilians of Konoha." Tsunade said, answering Naruto's unasked questions. "I'll get to the chase here…Naruto Uzumaki, you are hereby promoted to Chūnin Status." Tsunade said, shocking Naruto.

"Thanks…I guess…" Naruto said slowly but stopped as Tsunade held up her hand.

"Don't…trust me that's the only good news you're getting." Tsunade said. "The reason being is that everyone, civilian and shinobi alike, think that you've died…and have been dead for the two weeks." Naruto's eyes widened at that, wanted to get up, Tsunade only held up her hand again before she continued. "From the reports; it seems that you managed to kill Sand's Jinchuriki…taking significant damage yourself that eventually led to your death on the operation table. That explains your arm by the way." Tsunade said making Naruto nod at seeing the metallic arm that as on his right hand.

"Someone must have found me, though." Naruto said.

"Someone did," Tsunade responded, "Sasuke Uchiha was found carrying your body to the hospital. However, due to losing a lot of blood, you died as you were being operated on." Tsunade said as she pulled out the report. "Your funeral was just last week…not much had shown up; only a handful of people. As of right now though, you are dead to the world; a Chūnin of Konoha that died to protect your village, a village that scorned you."

"…"

"I know this is a lot to take in…but you must know that because you are considered dead…you can't stay here." Tsunade said.

"So…where am I supposed to go?" Naruto asked.

"That's your choice…" Tsunade said before she reached into her desk and pulled out a scroll before she handed it to Naruto. "Here…it's everything you own…you and your parents. I didn't look at it but it's everything they owned including jutsu, claims and such." Tsunade said while Naruto tucked the scroll away. "Take your time to leave…Neko please escort them around the village until then." Tsunade said as she watched the trio leave her office.

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"So…where do we go?" Naruto asked as he and Tayuya walked up the main gates with Neko.

"How about wave? Kin headed that was two weeks ago to try and get herself a place to live." Tayuya said. Naruto nodded at that before he turned around and looked at the village; the same one that made him who he was today. Glancing at the Monument that held five faces, Naruto smiled before he stretched his prostatic arm out.

"Thank you…for everything." Naruto said to no one in particular. Turning around, the blonde and redhead started walking away leaving behind a smiling Hokage and a life that was well lived.

* * *

><p>AN: The End. See you back on Sage of Six Sights/Uzunami Clan/Team Uzumaki…make your preference.


End file.
